Twin Destiny
by Vergil1989 the Crossover King
Summary: Immediately taking place after the ep Legacies, Oliver Queen deviates from the list once again and ends up getting entangled with a newcomer to Starling City's criminal underworld. The events that follow forever change the life of an abandoned young girl with secrets of her own. AU Verse. Arrow centric. T for now.
1. Broken Arrow

**Author's Notes;** _This idea is a prequel for another story we're working on together called Lost Youth. Given the AU nature of the story, I felt it time that we did some exploration of their lives before the start of LY. While this focuses on Oliver and Artemis as seen in Arrow, (Ollie, not Arty, yet, if I'm any judge,) most likely we'll see the rest of the team pop up along the way until the eventual attack on the S.T.A.R. Labs that sets things into motion from there. Timeline wise this takes place immediately after Legacies. It was the only way I could realistically see Oliver taking on a partner in any sense of the word._

**By: Vergil1989 the Crossover King and his sidekick / trusted friend, Archer83**

**Disclaimer;** We own nothing related to Arrow, Young Justice, the Justice League, or anything else that might become a reference along the way.

**Chapter 1; Broken Arrow**

**The Glades, Starling City.**

**The steel mill, the 'Arrowcave'**

**September 7th, 2009**

**8:52 PM**

He had made national headlines when he had apparently returned from the dead after five years on an island. Everyone knew his name, everyone knew that he was supposed to be the new head of Queen Consolidated, but few people knew who Oliver Queen truly was anymore. Even fewer knew the connection the new vigilante, the Hood, and Oliver had. Only John Diggle, his bodyguard, truly knew that they were one and the same, and even he had trouble wrapping his head around it at times. It took a bullet laced with curare, and some time to think about Oliver's offer, to convince him he was doing the right thing, allowing his boss to run around Starling City as the Hood.

He still wasn't entirely convinced it was the right thing, but John had seen Oliver in action already. He knew how he operated, what he stood for, and despite his misgivings about his methods, John had to admit, Oliver was doing a lot of good for the city and its downtrodden. The body count was a little too high for his taste, but that was to be expected in a war. What was happening in Starling City though? What was it if not a war? The guy had a list of names from his dead father that was a mile long, and all of those names had one thing in common. Every single one of them were corrupt and powerful in one way or another. This latest one was just the tip of the iceberg.

Oliver's base of operations just happened to be beneath an abandoned steel mill which coincidentally was going to be renovated to be the new nightclub that his boss and his best friend were putting together. Sitting at the desk while Ollie did his thing at the computer center that, like everything else down in the basement, Oliver had put together on his own. Diggle raised an eyebrow when his boss found something of interest. "That him?"

"Lawrence Crock, a.k.a, Sportsmaster. A very dangerous enforcer for anyone that can afford his rates. Interpol, NSA, the CIA; almost every agency has been trying to get their hands on this guy and everyone's failed. Now he's in Starling City, and if this security footage I was able to dig up is anything to go by, he isn't alone." Diggle took a look and again raised an eyebrow when his gaze swept over the photo and the security footage that was pulled up, along with a list of known crimes the man had perpetrated. The guy was big, bigger than most men Diggle was used to seeing, and he had survived three tours in Iraq. He had seen countless people in various shapes and sizes, and he couldn't remember one that was close to Sportsmaster's immense build.

It was the young blonde girl, of maybe thirteen at most, that was at Lawrence's side that caught John's interest. "Is it just me, or does it look like she doesn't want to be there?" Diggle pointed out and Ollie had to agree. There was something in the girl's face, in her grey eyes that made both men wonder what her story was. "So what do you think Oliver?" Dig finally asked as he met his boss's intense gaze.

Five years on that island. From what little John had been told of it so far, that would have changed anyone and most likely not for the better. In Oliver's case though, it had stripped away all the bull and had left the man that had been hidden underneath. Diggle had seen his fair share of rich spoiled kids during his four years as a bodyguard, and Oliver certainly didn't fit that bill anymore. The man had more integrity than all of his previous clients combined.

As much as Oliver agreed with John in regards to the girl, Lawrence Crock was the real problem. "If she's at his side Dig, then you know I can't hold back no matter what her circumstances might be. But-" Oliver held up a hand before his friend could voice a protest. "I draw the line at kids, even if they are following a masked lunatic. If I can help her, fine, but if not, then maybe some time in juvie will straighten her out. Provided she's even around when I try to take this guy down."

"Glad to know we have that straightened out Oliver." It had been a brief doubt in Diggle's mind, but he trusted Oliver and knew that he wouldn't hurt whoever that girl was if he could help it. Crossing his arms as he stood away from the desk, Oliver soon joined him as the vigilante lead the way to his workshop where he made most of his gear. The things he couldn't make, he had ways of acquiring. For now, Oliver suited up for a night on the town. "What happens if she _is _there Oliver? If she is willing to put down her _life_ for this guy?"

"I truly hope she isn't willing to do that, for both our sakes." He had enough blood on his hands, and adding a kid's into the mix was not how Oliver wanted this night to end. But neither could he let Lawrence get away, and if that meant putting an arrow into his accomplice, then he'd do it without blinking. At least, that's what Oliver tried to tell himself as he pulled the hood down over his face and gave his bodyguard, and only ally in this war against the criminal elite, one last farewell nod. "Whatever happens Dig, Lawrence will know who he's up against."

Diggle looked over a file Oliver had been able to 'borrow' from the SCPD. He did that a lot more than most people had a right to get away with. The former soldier quickly held up his hand to get Olliver's attention before he could pull his little disappearing act. "Says here that Lawrence has a couple kids, and that the mother died in prison after a botched job the two pulled that left her paralyzed from the waist down. One of them would be about thirteen now...has an older sister that's been missing since she was nine years old. Her name is Artemis Lian Crock. Don't even bother giving me that glare you're so fond of. Seems to me that you have an easy choice to make Oliver." Oliver stopped and looked over his shoulder at the man, knowing exactly what Dig was trying to do. He was putting a name to the blonde's face, making it that much harder to fight her to his fullest if it came to that.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hoping that I'll bring this kid back with me." He already knew how John would respond to his sarcasm, but the words still stung all the same since they were exactly what Oliver needed to hear, and they both knew it.

The smirk Diggle threw his way was all Queen needed to see. He had won and they both knew it even before the words were out of his mouth. "You suddenly in the sidekick business Oliver? Since that would be a bit more insane than your usual schemes, and the whole jumping off buildings thing." John sighed and gazed at the grainy surveillance image once again. "Personally, I'll be happy if the girl is at least still breathing after tonight. You'll figure out something I'm sure. Oliver?" Diggle looked around him to see that Queen had already vanished into thin air. "I hate it when he does that."

**Starling National Bank.**

**Midnight**

"Almost to the ground baby girl?" Lowering his daughter down from the skylight on an improvised pulley system wasn't the easiest way they could have done this, but it was the safest, especially for her first time out on a job. While Lawrence Crock was many things, a caring father wasn't one of them, but there was no point in getting the girl killed their first time out.

Strapped in tactical rappelling gear, wearing a black bodysuit and ski mask, Artemis Lian Crock made sure her bow and quiver were tight against her back as she slid down the rope slowly but surely. Too much pressure on the rope between her hands and she wouldn't go anywhere, not enough and she'd slide down too fast and end up hurting herself when she hit the floor.

As much as the ski mask wearing young girl wanted to be anywhere but here, she knew the price for failure was severe. She had the scars to prove it, as did her older sister who she hadn't seen since she left that night more than four years ago. "Just a little further. Alright we're good." As soon as her feet touched the linoleum floor, Artemis unclipped herself from the safety harness and waited for her father to join her on the ground, before they moved on with the rest of their plan. She was fast and efficient, just like her dad had wanted her to be from day one, as she brought up her bow and did a quick check of the area. Other than a few cameras situated around the bank, there was very little noticeable security. The few motion sensors that had been a part of the place had been deactivated already while they were on the roof. A quiet whisper was the only sound heard in the dark lobby. "Clear!"

"It better be baby girl." Lawrence said as he quickly slid down the rope and landed lightly beside his daughter. Despite his immense size, he was as sure and light footed as any assassin. "Let's get moving, before some guard gets tired of sitting on his ass and wanders into us out of boredom." Casually tossing one of his specially made javelins at the nearest camera, an electrical pulse instantly fried the bank's internal security network. As much as he hated passing through airport security, even in disguise, at least here he didn't have to worry about the feds getting another picture of his face anytime soon.

Having his image captured was the least of the man's worries as an arrow pierced his leg, pinning him to a nearby desk. It had struck him below the armored knee pad he wore, making it a very uncanny and accurate shot, especially in the dark. Despite the pain the arrow caused the man, Lawrence didn't acknowledge it as he and Artemis looked to where the shot had came from to see the Hood walking out of the shadows from the back of the bank. "Lawrence Crock...you have _failed _this city!"

With only a mild grunt of pain, Lawrence ripped the arrow out of his leg and merely laughed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll hand it to you Hood, I never saw you coming. Shoulda killed me though. Imagine the street cred I'll get for gutting Starling City's annoying little vigi. Let's go baby girl!" Oliver only narrowed his eyes as Artemis fired a shot at him, only to have the arrow caught by the elder archer before it reached his chest. It was a distraction however, allowing Lawrence to draw forth another javelin and launch it straight at the man's heart. Oliver barely dodged the projectile, receiving a deep cut to his right arm instead of being impaled.

_He's fast, but I'm faster._ Artemis was the game changer. Her loyalties were uncertain, a factor he could potentially use to his advantage, if he could get through to her. Even if she was taking shots at him, Oliver could practically sense the hesitation from across the lobby. She was distracting him at best, with shots just inches away from Oliver's body. Someone who could aim that well could have easily hit him several times by now, a fact that wasn't lost on her father apparently if the deepening scowl in his brown eyes was anything to go by. "What are you doing?! Quit trying to shoot him and _shoot_ him!" Lawrence growled as he tossed another javelin at Oliver's back, and instead wound up hitting the desk he had jumped behind, as graceful as any cat. The only problem however was that this javelin exploded after a three second delay, sending the archer skidding across the floor and into the far wall, dazed but otherwise unharmed.

"No more excuses baby girl, take the shot or don't bother coming home." Artemis nocked another arrow in place and drew up the tension on her bow. If her many near misses hadn't been proof enough of her hesitation to kill, then her shaking bow arm was clear as day. Oliver's hood might have hid his face, but his eyes were still visible if the angle was just right. Even at this distance, it was clear that he was waiting for her to make her choice. Continue down the path her father wanted for her, or walk away from the life that had been forced upon her.

The arrow she fired harmlessly embedded itself in the wall next to Oliver's head, proving what he knew already. She was no killer, despite what her father might have wanted her to be.

It wasn't until she turned around did Artemis realize that Sportsmaster was already ascending the rope back out of the bank, muttering curses the whole way as he pulled himself up hand over hand. Before she got a chance to follow, Lawrence had already cut the rope from the pulley, leaving her behind and without an exit that didn't involve going through the front door and any cops that were waiting for her and her new pal, the Hood. If she thought that was the end of their 'relationship' however, Artemis was sorely mistaken when she felt a dart pierce the right side of her neck. "No...you can't! Don't leave me!"

"I just did baby girl. Have a nice nap! And just so you know, this is your own fault. Maybe you'll remember that when you wake up, IF you wake up!" A precisely aimed arrow hit just underneath his hockey like mask and grazed the side of the enforcer's face. The long, ragged, and bleeding cut from chin to temple was enough to take away the man's arrogant smirk. Oliver only had time to watch Lawrence disappear into the night as he caught the stumbling blonde girl before she had a chance to hit the floor. Whatever had been in that dart was already taking effect from what he could see.

"Stay with me Artemis!" Oliver shouted as he pulled the dart out of her neck and made it a point to put it into his hood for later analysis. He needed to know what was in it just in case his herbs he had brought back from the island didn't work to counteract the poison. Seeing terror in the eyes of those he fought usually gave him a sense of satisfaction, but seeing it in this young girl's grey eyes was another story altogether. Pulling his cellphone out with one hand while gently lowering Artemis to the floor, Ollie called the only person he could trust. "Dig, get the lab prepped; I'm bringing her back and she's been poisoned. I'll be there in ten." He didn't wait for a reply as he hung up before slinging the girl over his shoulder. This was shaping up to be a very long night.

**Back at the steel mill**

"You know I was joking about the sidekick thing right? I didn't think you'd actually bring her back here!" Diggle once again found himself questioning the sanity of one Oliver Queen as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. He knew that this job wouldn't be without its risks, but this was starting to be too much. No one was supposed to know about their little operation, and now Oliver had dumped a kid right in the middle of it.

"The situation changed Dig...when her own father decided to poison her to get away!" The fact that Robert Queen had shot himself in the head to ensure his son survived, something Diggle knew all too well, allowed him to understand his friend's rage at what had happened tonight. Lawrence Crock would be a dead man if their paths crossed again. "I figured letting her die or saving her life was an _easy _choice." Even as he laid her out on the same table that not so long ago had held John after he had been tagged by Deadshot, Oliver had enough of his attention span left to shoot his friend a bitter glare. "Grab my medical kit, it should be next-"

"Got it." Now that the girl was his problem just as much as Oliver's, Diggle quickly shoved his worries and complaints to the back of his mind for the moment. He rapidly snatched up said med kit, as well as a blanket and a bottle of water for the girl. "Here, do your magic Oliver. You better hope you can save her." The bottle and kit were quickly thrust at the man as John covered the young girl.

"No magic involved Dig, and that makes two of us." Still, Oliver nodded his thanks as he dug out the dart he had kept and handed it over to his partner to analyze, just in case as he took his medkit from his friend. Opening up the old and battered metal grey box, Oliver didn't bother going for the bandages he kept. He was after the small brown leather bag that contained his herbs. Taking a small handful of them out of the bag, he unscrewed the cap on the bottle of water before forcing Artemis to swallow the herbs. He knew from first hand experience how bad they tasted, and that there was no way she'd keep from choking without something to wash it down. After he made sure she had ingested the herbs, Oliver finally dropped his head in pain and exhaustion.

The injured vigilante then dragged a chair over to the small medical table Artemis laid upon, before putting his head in his hands. "Look man, maybe you made the right call, maybe you made the wrong one, but I am glad you got her away from that guy. The scanner on your computer is already working on the dart you brought back. Is there anything else we can do for now?" Despite his misgivings about where things had gone tonight, Diggle was happy that there was the silver lining about his friend bringing Artemis back alive if not well. The repercussions of the decision would just have to be dealt with as they came along.

"We can wait, and hope. Those herbs will help her...or they won't. Either way, I need to know exactly what 'Daddy Dearest' hit her with before we can do anything." Oliver had never been one for praying. Even before the island he would have been the last person to believe in a higher power that didn't have alcohol somewhere in the mix. Now, after the island had changed him, he still didn't believe in anything beyond what he could see and touch, but that didn't mean he couldn't hope that they hadn't been too late.

Oliver's 'bodyguard' / confidant gripped his shoulder, and only then noticed that the sleeve of his costume was wet with blood. "Oliver...you're bleeding like a sieve. I'll get some anesthetic and patch this up." As Diggle turned to pick up the needed meds and tools from the kit, Oliver grabbed his arm.

"What would I do without you? And don't bother with the pain killers, I'd rather not pass out until after I know she's out of the woods...or never waking up again." Lawrence's parting words had been more than a little unnerving, and they came back like a freight train as he recalled the final few seconds between them. Some fates were worse than death, a fact he knew all too well, and if Sportsmaster had devised some kind of drug that put its victim into a catatonic state, then the possibility of her suffering such a fate made her recovery all the more important.

**Twelve hours later...**

He had had time for a very short nap, lunch with his mother, a fight with his sister, and a bit of bike riding with his best friend Tommy, before Oliver finally got the call that he had been hoping for and dreading in equal parts. As soon as he was able to safely disappear, he wasted no time in getting back to the steel mill. Once he was back in the basement, he saw for himself that Artemis was groggy but very much alright. The fact she wasn't entirely happy to see him could be forgiven though. "You!"

"Glad to see you're awake Ms. Crock. Trust me, this is a much better place to wake up instead of cuffed to a bed in the ER, or laying in the morgue." Artemis visibly shivered at the image Oliver conjured up for her with that single statement. Despite the fact she had been armed to the teeth, she was still just a kid, about the same age his sister had been when he had disappeared.

"You really should have gone into nursing Oliver, impressive bedside manner you've got there. Your patients would get well in record time just to get the hell away from you." Neither missed the fact that Diggle was making a show of cleaning one of his smaller guns he kept around the lair. Just because he agreed with Ollie's decision didn't mean he had to like it. "Sorry about the restraints, but I'm sure you understand. It's not that we don't trust you, but we don't trust you."

"Noted, but I could care less. And just so we're clear, you mean these restraints?" Artemis held up her hands to show that the handcuffs that Diggle had used on her were about as useful as a paper rope, as she casually twirled the cuffs around her pointer finger. Oliver raised an eyebrow while Diggle silently cursed at the kid's fast escape. "I've been slipping out of cuffs since I was nine years old. You'll have to do better than that old man."

Oliver couldn't keep the smile off his face as Diggle started to look less than pleased. "Why so serious...old man? Looks like our new friend here has a few interesting talents, other than assisting in felonies, wouldn't you say Dig?" When John cocked the gun he had finished cleaning, the joke was over.

It was Artemis's turn to fume at the mere mention of what had happened last night. "I didn't- it's not like I wanted to be there in the first place! It's not like I had a choice..."

Oliver let out a skeptical sigh as the girl continued to glare at him. "You always have a choice, anyone can choose to do the right thing, it's just having the will to do it that's the hard part.

"The scars I saw say otherwise Oliver." John replied, earning a shocked look from the blonde. "You already strike me as the kind of person that wouldn't admit you're hurting even with blood running down your face. The only way I knew you hadn't been injured, besides that dart he pulled out of your neck, was to check you over while you were out cold."

The young girl huffed in anger and slammed her head back against the pillow Diggle had placed behind her head earlier. Admitting weakness of any sort had been liable to result in her getting her ass kicked with her dad hovering over her shoulder at every turn. She wasn't about to change her ingrained habit of disguising hurt and weakness now, especially with two people she had only just met. One of which had ended up taking on her dad before all but kidnapping her.

Oliver was painfully reminded of himself when he was younger, the way Artemis was reacting to the whole situation. "Whatever...whatever your father did to you, I _promise _you Artemis, he'll never lay a hand on you again." Even his 'bodyguard' was surprised by how much compassion his friend's voice held as he looked away from his cleaning gear and looked towards the girl. He normally only reserved that type of blunt honesty for his family.

"As if I'd believe you." The rage at least had left her face, but it was still present in the way she curled up on her side away from Oliver and Diggle. Everyone had either abandoned her or died on her. Trust issues didn't even begin to cover the problems that Artemis would have to work through if she wanted a chance at a normal life.

"That's the funny thing about when I make someone a promise, I don't need them to believe me." Oliver knew better than to try and comfort the girl any further at the moment, only time could prove to her that he was telling the truth. "I'll get you something light to eat and some water. Then, you're _going_ to get some more rest." As much as it was clear that she wanted to protest when she rolled back over, Artemis didn't say a word as Oliver left Diggle in charge of their new guest. How he was going to explain this one to his family he hadn't the faintest idea, but he'd figure something out. One thing was certain however, there was no way in Hell he'd hand her back over to Lawrence Crock and his 'tender loving care'.

Ollie had made it a point to keep a well stocked hideout. Cans of soup and other non-perishables were safely filed away in their own place in the basement. It didn't take him long to get a styrofoam bowl full of warm chicken noodle soup for his less than amicable 'guest'. It probably would have tasted better steaming hot, but he really didn't feel like getting scalded today. It was abundantly clear to both men that Artemis hadn't exactly been well fed over the years. Mainly from her surprise at Oliver's offer to get her more soup, after she drained the first bowl in less than a minute.

"Um...could I maybe get some crackers too?" Both men had noticed how the stubborn girl was suddenly acting almost kind in comparison to just minutes earlier.

"Dig, don't let her out of your sight." Ollie whispered on his way back to his pantry, having a feeling she'd make a break for the door the first chance she got. She was a flight risk if he had ever seen one, and his bodyguard would have heartily agreed if his friend had brought it up. He didn't have to though as Diggle nodded, and gave the girl a smirk as she finished what little remained in her bowl. Oliver quickly jogged back in and snatched it out of her hands. "Sorry, last one. Be right back."

"Uh huh." Artemis didn't believe him for an instant as she tried to appear as casual as she could, swinging her legs over the side of the bed as she watched Oliver like a hawk. Diggle didn't miss a beat as he kept his gaze leveled on the blonde. A small red smear of blood on her left arm got his full attention immediately.

"Damn...looks like I missed something. Okay, you're going to stay exactly where you are, and I'll toss you some disinfectant and a bandage." The needed items were quickly acquired as the man casually walked over and placed them next to her on the bed. He instantly backed away after doing so, and returned to his spot in the lair. The two seconds he had been within arm's reach of the girl had been pushing it for the former soldier as it was.

"It's fine." Artemis wanted to argue, but she stopped when she heard Diggle's arrangement. He was letting her handle it herself. The idea surprised her, but Artemis was quick to adapt her plan. "Sure you want to do that old man? Your boss didn't think letting me keep that bowl was a good idea, afraid I might get clever and somehow make a weapon out of it." The fact that she could have done exactly that, she decided not to mention. Styrofoam was hard when compressed tightly enough, and rolled up into a tube, it made a good improvised stabbing weapon.

"Gotta point. I could restrain you first and cuff your hands behind your back. Or you could just do it your own damn self." Diggle had never imagined once in his life that he'd ever be saying those words to a kid. Being around Oliver too long tended to change things like that.

"Language old man, I'm thirteen." Artemis knew she was annoying the guy from the way his glare was deepening. "And besides, we both know that cuffs don't do squat against me." She had taken only ten seconds to free herself the first time, with her hands behind her back it'd be even easier. "Ow! Dammit." John had walked back over to Artemis's side and was quick to pick up the bandage and the disinfectant before putting them to use.

"Thought you were tougher than that blondie? You went toe to toe with Oliver and you're still standing. Can't take one more little owwie after all that crap daddy put you through? Although, from what I heard, you held back, and- ah shit." It only took Diggle a moment to realize what he had just said. The tears threatening to fall from the girl's grey eyes only served to make him feel like more of an ass. He expertly cleaned the small cut, and was just about to apply the bandage when the streaming tears on her cheeks finally got to him. "Listen...that was a stupid thing to say."

"So was getting close." It was the only warning he had before Artemis sprang into action. Diggle was good, but he wasn't able to fend off the surprise attack as she slammed her forehead into his nose, making him stumble back. Before the former soldier could get his bearings, an arm was tightly wrapped around his neck in a choke hold. "It's amazing how many idiots like you fall for that one."

A loud, sarcastic clapping caused Artemis's head to snap up and Diggle to groan in annoyance. "THAT was an amazing performance." A grinning Oliver made as if to wipe at his eye. "I almost had tears myself." John took that moment to shake loose and Artemis quickly found herself on her back moments later, with the bodyguard's weight planted fully on her chest, and a pistol pointed at her face as if it had always been there. All the humor vanished from Oliver's face as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder before kneeling next to the stunned girl. "Listen to me Artemis. You might have had a choice before, you might not have had one, I don't know. I don't know what your father put you through, but I do know that you're here, now, and I am trying to help you."

"_I _know one thing, you ever pull a stunt like that again, I don't care what Oliver says, I might forget I'm on American soil." Diggle all but growled as he holstered his sidearm, rubbing at his sore neck after he climbed off of the girl who remained on the ground. He then turned his full attention on his partner in crime, all trace of his usual coolheaded veneer gone. "Oliver. I've known you, what? A few _weeks_? And I am already pointing my damn sidearm at a thirteen year old brat!"

"Dig." Oliver had never let his eyes off of Artemis, and he was the first to see real tears forming in her eyes as she remained frozen on the stone floor where she had just been pinned. "Take a chill pill buddy. We're taking our new friend here to get properly checked out." The hollow look on the young girl's face disappeared as she snapped out of whatever waking nightmare she had gotten lost in for a moment before she sat up. As much as she reminded him of his sister, Ollie knew that the two were as different from each other as oil and water. Regardless, he had failed too many people already, helping her was a means to atone.

Diggle was less than thrilled by Oliver's newest idea. "We're what now? And where exactly are we going to take Ms. Tiny Assassin that won't involve too many questions from Child Services?"

"I do have a name jackass." Artemis spat out as she tried to regain her composure. It was a losing fight, but she'd be damned if she lost her cool again in front of these two men.

Oliver didn't bother sharing the fact he could see how terrified the girl really was by Dig's statement. Somehow, he knew that this kid _would not_ do well in foster care. The fact she had gotten the drop on Diggle was just the tip of the monumental iceberg on the list of reasons as to why she'd do poorly in the system, which was about as broken as the rest of the country. It looked as if some things had stayed exactly the same, or gotten even worse, in the time he had been stranded on that island.

"I just want to get this out in the open then, but I think this idea is crap." As much as he hated the idea of possibly letting the girl cause them even more trouble, Diggle had to admit that Oliver was right. The kid needed much more than two guys with medic skills right now.

"I don't like it anymore than you do old man. And I don't recall ever asking for your damn help either!" Artemis shouted as she locked gazes with Oliver, but she couldn't maintain the stare because of the calm and almost serene look he gave back. She was so used to the angry scowl that was always etched on her father's face, and since she hadn't been allowed out of the house without him a dozen steps behind her, she had very little experience with anything else. Needless to say, Oliver's calm veneer was throwing her off completely.

"I don't see you refusing it either." Ollie was quick to reply.

"Ha! Like you gave me a choice!" Artemis shouted, and flinched as Oliver bent towards her. He did the last thing she had been expecting, and gently removed the restraints on her wrists that Diggle had gotten on her again in the time she had been pinned.

Oliver calmly got back to his feet, and pointed across the large room to the stairs out of the lair. "You want out? There's the door. I'm sure you'll be much better off with the authorities...or your father." He wasn't worried about her revealing who he was, because Artemis couldn't say a word without incriminating herself and her father. Diggle knew it too, but it didn't make this any easier as he watched and waited for what came next.

She made a dash for the stairs, expecting this to be a trick at best, but stopped when it was clear they weren't coming after her. Diggle even gave her a small wave that practically shouted 'Good riddance!' as she eyed her escape route. As she slowly climbed the stairs and, surprisingly, found the door unlocked, the realization that she had no idea what to do after getting out of that room dawned on her. She froze as if turned to stone, her hand halfway out towards the handle as the reality of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. There was no way her dad would take her back, and the fact he had left her to die or worse didn't help. At best, she might get tossed into a crappy foster home by the cops. At worst, she'd end up in juvvie until she was twenty-one, that was provided her dad didn't come back to finish the job and put her on ice.

"She figured it out I take it? I still think this is a bad idea Oliver, but you're starting to convince me at least." Diggle had already gone back to cleaning his pistol as he pretended not to notice the unsure girl at the top of the stairs.

Oliver didn't say a word as he waited for Artemis to come back down, standing at his desk with his father's book opened up in front of him. He didn't have long to wait as the blonde soon joined him. "This doesn't mean we're partners or any of that shit." He had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop the smile that threatened to overtake his face at the defiant look on Artemis's face. Her red rimmed eyes told another story altogether.

"Course not, partners trust each other." John deadpanned, as his eyes flicked to stare at Artemis before going back to his work.

"So this is what's going to happen...Arty." Oliver ignored the glare she threw his way at the nickname he had given her already. "You were dumb enough to try and pickpocket me, and my oh-so-loyal bodyguard caught you in the act." It was Diggle's turn to shoot his partner a glare, although his was far briefer before he turned his attention back to his cleaning with a quiet grumble. "When he pulled you to your feet, we happened to catch a glimpse of a few of your scars, hence why I insisted we take you to see my family doctor."

"Your mother is just going to _love _this." Diggle grumbled again, but he wouldn't throw a monkey wrench into Oliver's plans. It was Artemis he was worried about. Just as Ollie had used her uncertainty against Lawrence Crock, John was worried that she would stab them in the back at the first sign of trouble.

"I'm sure she and Thea will be shocked enough at the idea of me helping a total stranger." Oliver quickly grabbed a small wrapped bundle and tossed it in front of Artemis, who eyed it warily. "I highly doubt your average pickpocket goes about wearing tactical rappelling gear over a black bodysuit and ski mask. The clerk said this was 'in', get dressed. You can use the bathroom, it's over there." Queen pointed over his shoulder to a door behind him without taking his eyes off the book in his hands.

"If there's anything with a name brand from your high society life in here, I'll reconsider walking out that door." It'd be a cold day in Hell before anyone would see her in fancy clothes that she hadn't gotten on her own dime. It was bad enough she was accepting the outfit that Oliver had handed over.

Only ten minutes later, Diggle was starting to look worried. The girl still hadn't come back out. "Oliver, there aren't any air vents in there big enough for her...right?

"You worry too damn much old man. Besides, the air vent that IS in that rat trap was too small for me." She had considered leaving, briefly, but again the reality of her situation stopped her. "Say a word about the pink shirt, and I'll put you in traction for a month. I think that clerk was trolling you...who the hell wears a Hello Kitty t-shirt anymore?" At least the blue jeans were something she favored, when she was able to wear anything nice at all anyway. All of her old clothes back home were so full of holes that they barely qualified as actual clothing.

The book was carefully put down as Oliver shrugged, and tried to give her his best charming smile. "Well, I happen to be a little behind the times in the fashion department." It didn't take a mind reader to see that Artemis wasn't biting in the slightest.

"And everything else for that matter." John couldn't help snarking, before Oliver cast him an irked stare.

"I guess being dead for five years will do that. Your little performance at your dad's memorial gathering wasn't exactly easy to miss. No wonder everyone thinks you're an ass. I do watch TV, sometimes." Mainly as research about the locals in any city that her father planned to hit next. She didn't plan to tell these two that though as she noticed the dark look that passed over Oliver's face when she finished her statement. "That was an act?"

"He makes it a habit of lying to everyone around him, that doesn't mean he likes it. Might want to remember that blondie." Diggle had already finished cleaning and reassembling his pistol as he got up to grab his jacket. "Let's get this goodie-two-shoes show started shall we?"

It was easy to see that the less than trusting girl was still having second thoughts as they headed up the stairs and out of the abandoned steel mill. "Don't worry, Dr. Lamb is as discreet as he is capable of being, without going beyond the law. He's used to having Queens come and go through his doors like clockwork." The sad part was that it was the truth, Dr. Neil Lamb was used to having almost every member of the Queen family pass through his doors at least six different times a year.

"Whatever. I don't know why I need to see this guy in the first place. I'm fine." Artemis told them as she grudgingly got into the backseat of Oliver's car. Sitting next to her, Oliver gave her a cheery grin as the young girl crossed her arms in front of her chest. He wasn't sure she could escape a moving vehicle like he could, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Already starting the vehicle, Dig glared up into his rearview mirror. "Yeah, it's completely normal to sleep off a mild case of being poisoned, not to mention any old wounds that might not have healed properly. I figure it's an educated guess that your father didn't bother with little concerns like that." The fact that Artemis froze in place again at the mere mention of her dad pretty much answered that question, a fact that both Diggle and Oliver noted.

**Starling City General Hospital**

**1:30 PM**

"Mr. Queen...I have to ask, what happened to Ms. Crock? Some of her injuries are rather severe, and ongoing it seems." Most people might have been mildly intimidated by the frowning doctor's glare. Oliver simply shrugged his shoulders in apparent ignorance.

"She's been a little less forthcoming on that part Dr. Lamb. We only just met today, and if not for my friendly bodyguard, she'd still have my wallet and be halfway to the Glades by now." It was the truth, overall, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth even if it was just another lie in a long line of them. "You think she's been abused, doctor?"

"Severely Mr. Queen, and over a period of _years_. Fractured ribs, a cracked skull, her left arm, and right leg have suffered multiple breaks. I must warn you Mr. Queen, I am compelled legally and ethically to report these injuries to the local authorities."

Oliver had already considered his options, and like always, his old girlfriend was the perfect woman for the job of keeping Artemis close at hand. "I know doctor, that's why I'm thinking that Ms. Lance would be the perfect person to call in regards to the ethical standpoint. I'm also giving serious thought to taking the girl in, temporarily of course." Oliver tried not to laugh at the way Lamb's eyebrows shot up in surprise. It was a little easier to manage when he swept his gaze over the series of X-rays that were lined up behind the doctor though. "Seems like she's a good kid at heart, she deserves better than what I know Child Services will most likely offer."

Artemis was listening in at the door, and had to bite her tongue to suppress the gasp of surprise at Oliver's words. She knew he had said it before, but she had expected him to change his story when he thought he was in the clear. So far he hadn't and, like everything else about the guy, it threw her off considerably. He had yet to stab her in the back, but it was still early. Deep down she was still sure he was doing this for some selfish or twisted reason. After all, who in their right mind would want to take on the walking, talking disaster that was Artemis Lian Crock?

Artemis rapidly spun around on her heel when she heard Diggle's voice behind her. She had almost gone for the hidden flechette she had stolen from Ollie's workshop on her way out, which she had hidden in her new shoes, but just managed to hold herself in check. "If you're still expecting him to stab you in the back, he won't. Oliver is funny that way, actually keeps his word if he gives it to you. Also, if you were thinking we didn't notice that you have one of his toys, you're mistaken." Diggle held out his hand as, with an irritated sigh, Artemis dropped the borrowed weapon into it. Once it was safely tucked away, John sighed and looked the kid square in the face. "Look, wherever you came from, I get it, it sucked, but you don't have to be afraid anymore Artemis. I might not like the arrangement, but I stand behind Oliver."

Before Artemis could think to reply, Oliver and Dr. Lamb exited the private room. "Oh good. I won't have to fill you two in now. Next stop, the offices of CNRI. I think you could use a good legal aid, and I just happen to know one of the best in the city."

Despite her initial misgivings about the doctor, Artemis had to reluctantly agree that Neil was easy to get along with, and his personality had been warm at least. Apparently he had been warned she was a flight risk. When he let his eyes fall on the blonde's face, he gave both men a stern look before nodding to his young and potentially frequent patient. "Good luck to you Ms. Crock. Despite what the tabloids would say, he is a good man, overall. Mr. Queen, Mr. Diggle, have a good day."

"Thanks again doctor. Now, let's go see Laurel. I don't get to be decent in public very often, she might just pass out from the shock." Oliver was already grinning at the thought as they left the doctor's medical office in Starling City General Hospital.

"And the fact her dad will probably shit a brick when he hears about this has nothing to do with it either." Diggle muttered under his breath, as they were soon back in the parking lot to the hospital before heading to the Glades, and CNRI.

"Sounds like her father is a real hard ass." Artemis said as she looked out the window without actually seeing anything. A lot was on her mind, the least of which was what was going on in her life from the last twenty four hours.

Oliver looked over at her, before staring out the opposite window. "Oh, he is, no doubt about it. But he's got a few very good reasons to hate me. It sort of sucks when a pissed off father also happens to be a SCPD detective."

"Great, so you already pissed off this girl, probably, and her father- WHAT?! Are you insane?" Artemis thumped her head against the seat's headrest as she shook her head and stared at the seat in front on her. "Thanks. I'll be locked up before the day is over with. You couldn't pick someone else to do this to?!"

"He's completely rigid in his belief that the law is ironclad. He'd never make an arrest without a reason Artemis, and without solid evidence to back it up. Believe me, he tried to pin the Hood on me and I beat him at his own game by pitting him against his own daughter. You couldn't be in safer hands." It had been a calculated risk, and one he kicked himself for everyday, but it had been the only way that his plan could fall through as Oliver had intended.

"Wow. You really _are_ an ass. Seems more like something Jade would- nevermind." As much as Ollie wanted to ask who Jade was, he knew when to hold his questions back. Diggle, on the other hand, could be a little more blunt at times. It was something Oliver appreciated, even when he felt ready to throttle the guy at times.

"You mean your sister? Don't look so shocked, I _can _read a file. Did a little bit of digging of my own and might have found something on a Cheshire, last seen boarding a plane for Gotham six months ago. Seems that a scientist working for Wayne Enterprises wound up with jellyfish venom in her system. Sound like your sister's MO?" Artemis nodded silently, hating to admit anything so close to home. "Figured as much. Theft and murder seem to be the two main hobbies in your family." Diggle's eyes returned to the road at Artemis's icy glare.

"You don't have to tell me what I already know." She all but whispered as she returned to looking out the window, not seeing what was passing by as the richer neighborhood gave way to dilapidated buildings and crumbling streets. As sad as it was to admit, entering the Glades was like returning to the Gotham slums where she had been raised for most of her life.

"Probably looks very familiar to you." Oliver just continued to stare out at the shoddy houses, obvious signs of poverty and gang related violence that were easy to find. "Before the island, I wouldn't have looked past my own nose or have given the people of this city a second look. All I cared about was what party was happening, what new drug I could try, or which girl I'd charm into bed next. Now? Now I see what my father and the people in his book have done to this city. Even if your dad's name hadn't been on that list, I most likely would have came after you and him, although you have Diggle to partly blame for my new stance against crime. Groups like the Royal Flush Gang would never have existed if not for people like my father. There will always be crime, and plenty of criminals to do it, but the corrupt in this city have only made things worse."

"And you're what, the cure for the disease? You're only one guy Oliver." One guy that had made a real difference already in as little as three months. Her first day in the city and he had found her, fought her and her father, and he was now trying to help her. Artemis was still unconvinced that he didn't have some kind of ulterior motive, that there was something he wanted from her, but whatever it was, she had no idea. Not only that, but everything he had said and done pointed to the impossible fact that Oliver was truly concerned for her safety, and that despite Diggle's protests, he was also trying to help her.

Artemis scoffed, being in agreement for once with the cocky bodyguard. "More like one dead guy if you keep up your little quest."

"You're not the only one to say that, strangely enough." Diggle had said it a few times, and Oliver didn't doubt that more than a few of his friends and family would have said the same if they had known and accepted the truth of who, and what, he was now. "I have to though, because if not me, then who will give the people of this city the justice they deserve?"

"Your ex-girlfriend?" It was all Oliver could do to ignore Dig's jab as they pulled into a parking space in front of CNRI. The man then looked over his shoulder at their stubborn charge. "Lucky for you, she actually _is _pretty tough. Might even give our mutual vigilante friend trouble if push came to shove." Artemis smirked at the annoyed glare that passed over Oliver's face before she sighed heavily, still heavy with thoughts of how screwed up her day had gotten in such a short amount of time.

"Let's just get this over with." As much as she hated this idea, Artemis at least made it convincing as she acted as if she was jerking her arm out of Diggle's grasp as they cleared the front door. "Watch it jackass, isn't there a law against molestation or something?!" Oliver had to use every bit of his training to keep his face composed at the look that his friend shot him. To say he was not amused by their newest member of the 'family' would have been an understatement as every eye in the small brick building fell on them.

"That was before you tried to pickpocket Mr. Queen." Diggle grumbled, not having to act as if he was watching her every move, because he was doing just that even if he did tentatively trust Artemis at best.

"Poor little defenseless me?" Even Diggle was impressed by the way the confident girl suddenly looked skittish and avoided all eye contact. He remembered not so long ago she had tried to choke him out, so her acting skills were a known fact, but even so, he hadn't realized just how good she was, especially in a pinch.

"Come on, Ms. Lance is a good friend. You have nothing to worry about Artemis." Oliver gave the girl his best comforting smile as the three headed to the entrance.

"You're right there Queen, your new sidekick doesn't have anything to worry about anything from my daughter. Me? That might be another story." Detective Quentin Lance was still as disapproving as ever as he openly glared at the man that had essentially killed his daughter five years ago. Saving his life or not when the assassin had tried to kill Oliver during his trial, at his own house, Lance would never forgive him that, but his belief that he was the 'Hood' at least had gone away that night.

Only a steeled look in his eyes belied the calm, easygoing expression on Oliver's face as he responded. "Hello detective. Anything I can do for you? I was just about to ask Laurel for some legal advice concerning Ms. Crock here." Artemis thankfully stuck to her 'part' and didn't roll her eyes at either of the two men that subtly positioned themselves between her and the cop.

"And the fact her father happens to be an enforcer and a bank robber on the side has nothing to do with it I'm sure. Funny thing too, the Hood showed up the same time this guy pops into the Starling City Bank last night, and now you have a new friend. Am I seeing a pattern here?" The scowl that was almost permanently on his face whenever he was dealing with Oliver Queen deepened at where his mind had gone. Coincidences like that didn't pile up without a damn good reason.

_Damn...he's good. Too bad for him that he has absolutely no hard evidence. _"Sorry? I don't get what you're implying detective. As for the rest, I'm honestly shocked. The girl got caught by my bodyguard trying to lift my wallet and, instead of pressing charges, I decided she could use some much needed help."

"I had a rough childhood." Artemis snarked, showing just a hint of the backbone she had underneath the 'scared little girl' mask she had on at the moment.

Detective Lance seemed to ignore Oliver for the moment, and focused his attention on the young girl behind him. "Uh huh. I've heard that one before. Tell you what Princess. I think we should all take a little ride down to the station." A wolfish grin spread across the man's face. "Whaddya say?"

Dinah Laurel Lance had heard enough as she all but ran across the floor towards them, a heavy binder underneath her arm as she stared down her dad with a very similar glare. "Until she has actually committed a crime and you have solid evidence dad, she isn't going anywhere. Just got off the phone with Dr. Neil Lamb, thanks for coming but I have work to do."

Quentin Lance gave an exasperated sigh as he verbally dueled with his equally stubborn daughter, yet again. "Laurel, Good Samaritan act from Queen here or not, this little punk could be the key to cracking a whole string of murders and robberies. Her daddy ain't exactly the nicest guy in the world."

_You have absolutely no idea._ Artemis thought bitterly as she put her two cents in. "You don't have to tell me Detective, he's as bad as you say and worse, but I honestly don't know anything that can help you." The fake tears were back with a vengeance, and they were believable enough to stop the good detective from uttering another snarky comment. It was one of the few lies that Artemis had told anyone today however. She knew where more than a few of those bodies were buried. Her dad liked to boast when he was in a good mood.

"Well, that's all I needed to hear. I don't think I'll be letting you harass my new client without a proper court order signed by the DA and a judge. If I see you around her again before you have that, it shouldn't be that hard to get a restraining order. The media just loves stories about abuse of power by law enforcement, don't they?" Laurel had him over a barrel and her father knew it. He was proud and pissed at her in equal measure as he hung his head in defeat, temporary as it might be if he had anything to say about it.

"Alright, but if she so much as uses an aerosol can in such a way that is not directed, I WILL be back for her." Artemis knew that she and Quentin Lance would most likely see each other again before all this was over, but for today at least, she was safe from his considerable wrath.

"Have a good day Detective Lance." Oliver said, the kind smile on his face only irritating the detective all the more, as he glared at the man and walked away. When he was out of the building, only then did Oliver turn to Laurel who hadn't lost the scowl that she had directed at her father. It was now directed fully at him. "Um...nice to see you again Laurel. So think you can help out my friend, this cunning criminal mastermind?" Oliver managed only a slight grimace as a fairly painful jab hit him in the small of his back.

Only Diggle noticed where Artemis had hit him but didn't say anything as Laurel's glare deepened. "As much as I enjoyed that, this is beyond crazy Ollie! Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?!" Everyone around her had a very good reason to believe they were about to find out.

"Yes? Pretty sure." He didn't sound certain, and Laurel was quick to pick up on that.

"You're 'pretty sure'? This isn't like going to the SPCA Oliver! You seriously think I would let you be in charge of a Golden Retriever, let alone a thirteen year old girl who's been physically abused, and potentially worse?!"

"I am right here. And it was emotionally too, in case you're curious. Daddy yelled...a lot." As sarcastic as Artemis had made that comment sound, Oliver wasn't fooled, and neither was Laurel. Having since taken up a spot behind Laurel's desk, Artemis had gotten herself comfortable in the woman's chair as she stared up at the group around her, annoyance and boredom easy to see on her face.

"I promise no one is going to be allowed to hurt you again, _ever_. Your father sounds like a dangerous guy. I've handled worse in my time." Laurel's face softened as she looked down towards her, not surprised in the least that the girl covered up her true feelings with an arrogant attitude. Laurel drove through the Glades everyday to get to work and she had handled cases like Artemis's before, she knew the type all too well.

"I've been getting a lot of those promises lately, so far I've yet to see a reason to believe them. And no, you really haven't." Was Artemis's simple reply, and as far as she was concerned, her dad could snap Laurel in half like a twig if he had a mind to.

"That's the thing Artemis, doesn't really matter to me if you don't believe me." The young archer almost laughed out loud as her eyes flicked from the lawyer to Oliver and back.

What was wrong with everyone she'd bumped into after the bank job went to hell and her father screwed her over? _It's like they all have a death wish or something._ "I can see why she liked you Queen, you're both nuts."

Laurel smiled as she sat on the edge of her desk after putting the binder down next to her. "I see someone's been talking. So Ms. Crock, should we get started? We're going to be here awhile. First, I need to get some information from you, then I'm sure that Child Services will-"

"Over my dead body." There was no way in Hell she'd give Child Services the pleasure of getting their hands on her, again. They were almost as bad as the cops, but at least with the cops, they were honest about their dislike and mistrust of you. Everyone in the foster care system was less than understanding of her family background, to say the least. Even the one time she and Jade _had_ been placed in a fairly nice family, her sister had found a way to mess that up. Apparently beating up the only son the family had, even if the bastard had had it coming, wasn't a good way to bond. He had been in a coma for a month afterward and he still had a noticeable limp in his right leg. Or so she had been told.

Most people would have taken an affront to a teen mouthing off to them that they were trying to help. Laurel hadn't focused on the girl's words at all, far more interested in the clearly frightened look in her eyes. "Been there, done that I take it. IF Oliver is willing to take you in, I can talk to Services and let him take temporary custody until a better place can be found for you, unless he fights for sole guardianship. But the chances of him winning that are not good, given his...less than _stellar_ past." Peeing on a cop, public intoxication, getting into an altercation with a member of the paparazzi, public nudity, public fornication. The list of his juvenile crimes, but crimes all the same, was extensive. A judge would take one look at that and veto any action before it could get off the ground.

Oliver immediately seemed to perk up when Laurel mentioned there was a chance it could work. The truth being however, that he had known ahead of time what he was getting into. "There's a chance though, right? Especially if there's a probationary period attached? If I can show that I've grown out of my childish antics, that I can be a responsible and caring guardian, shouldn't that help my chances? To prove that I'm at least a slight improvement over sticking her in the system again? I know I won't fail her, Laurel. Not like I failed so many before I was...gone."

The funny thing was, Oliver had been doing a lot better since his return. The worst thing he had been accused of lately was being the vigilante, and he had been proven innocent on that point. Besides, Laurel hadn't needed that evidence to know he'd ever be selfless enough to do something that crazy. "You're going to make me regret this aren't you?" It was the closest she'd ever come to admitting out loud that she agreed to proceed with this plan of action. In all honesty, this latest hair brained idea was truly touching.

"No. I won't." Even Artemis had to do a double take at how sincere Oliver sounded just then. Coming from anyone else, she wouldn't have believed it, but since getting to know the man, truly know him, things had started to change in regards to how she saw the world. It'd be a long road before she ever trusted anyone further than she could throw them, but it was enough to make Artemis wonder if maybe, _just maybe_ Oliver Queen might be the first person she could honestly trust.

_Closing Notes; Vergil1989; Before anyone says a word, just because she's already found her way to Oliver's side doesn't mean a thing to someone like Artemis. She is bound to run away, fight tooth and nail to protect herself, and worse if it becomes necessary. To sum it up, she might be in the Queen manor, but she won't feel at home for a very long time._

_Archer83; The things she's been through have nearly destroyed her ability to truly trust another person. Something like that can't be fixed overnight, or even in weeks or months. And with her known issues, plus the ones that are in the Queen household, it'll be even more challenging._

_Vergil1989; Needless to say, we have a lot of time to kill and a lot of ammo to use to fill in the blanks, so expect a lot of blood, sweat, and tears along the way. There's only six months around this time in the show before the Undertaking. Artemis is fifteen when she joins the covert ops team from YJ. Review, favorite, follow, or PM us as you like guys and gals; thoughtful feedback and reviews are most welcome._


	2. Welcome to the Family

**The Glades, Starling City**

**CNRI**

**September 7th, 2009**

**4:32 PM**

Artemis had needed a break from the seemingly endless questions that Ms. Lance had been asking since they had gotten started on the arrangements. Despite everything that had happened to her in the last twenty four hours, Artemis's resilience was astounding as she slowly but surely gave Laurel the information she needed to put together a strong defense in their favor. It was clear that she didn't want to talk about Jade, her father, and especially her mother because anytime Laurel tried to probe for those particular details, Artemis would either ignore it or downright avoid it with one of her customary sarcastic comments.

What Oliver, Diggle, and Laurel knew for sure was that Artemis was thirteen years old and had had a birthday on July 10th. She had been raised in Gotham City, more specifically deep in the slums with her father and older sister until she ran away when Artemis was nine. Artemis confirmed what Dr. Lamb had found out during her physical earlier that day that she had been physically and emotionally abused for years, but only Oliver had any real inclination as to how far and for what purpose it had been inflicted upon her to begin with. As hard as it was for her to admit even that much, Artemis did so without a snappy and scathing remark, for which both Ollie and Diggle were quite happy to note.

When it became clear that the young blonde was reaching the end of her limit, despite keeping up appearances to the contrary, Laurel called an end to the day's pseudo-interrogation. Diggle was happy to escort Artemis to the bathroom to give her a moment alone. When they were alone, Laurel finally let her small smile fade away as she breathed deeply several times through her nose and mouth, needing a moment to regain her composure. No matter how many times she took on a case like this, she never found it any easier. "I have enough to put things into motion. If you have time, can you bring her back tomorrow afternoon Oliver?"

"Yes, and thank you Laurel, for doing this." She didn't have to see his face to know that he was being completely honest and sincere with her as she felt his hand on her back. The touch sent tingles down her spine that she remembered all too well from the last time they had been together, but despite the fact she had been trying to figure out her and Tommy's relationship or whatever it was at this point, Laurel didn't pull away as she looked towards her former boyfriend.

"Just promise me one thing Ollie; that you'll be there for Artemis, no matter what happens. If you don't commit yourself a hundred and ten percent to her, you'll end up doing a lot more harm than good." Oliver didn't have to be told that to know that Laurel was dead on as she normally was. She had been through Hell, and ironically enough, Oliver was the perfect man for the very long task of putting her back together given that he had been through a Hell of his own.

"I know I made a lot of mistakes Laurel, with you, with...Sarah. But I promise, I won't give up on Artemis." They were all or nothing types of people. Their emotions controlled them, they didn't control their emotions, but that's what gave him and Laurel the strength they possessed.

Having known Oliver had changed since coming back still didn't prepare the lawyer for what she was seeing from the man. "What happened to you, Oliver?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she regretted them immediately as Ollie looked at the floor between them. "I'm sorry, I know it's nothing you...I'm sorry." The interrogation by her father had revealed the fact he had been tortured, severely, and she still had a hard time imagining what had been done to him despite having seen the scars all over his body personally.

"It's ok Laurel. I still can't talk about that time, but someday..." It'd have to be enough for now. Diggle and Artemis showed up just in time, in Oliver's opinion, as he turned around and saw the two coming their way. The almost anguished look on his face disappeared as he smiled warmly at the girl he had made it his mission to help. Laurel also put her mixed feelings to the side and brushed a hand over Oliver's shoulder as she went to get herself a late lunch. There was a mountain of paperwork she needed to start on. Anything was better than dwelling on the relationship issues she had on top of the case she had just taken on.

"Ready to go Mr. Queen, Ms. Crock?" Both nodded as they watched Laurel walk deeper into the building before the group of three walked out to the parking lot. "Where to next Oliver?" The rather loud rumble from Artemis's stomach answered that question as far as Ollie was concerned.

"A late lunch sounds good to me Dig. The Big Belly Burger seems like the perfect place. We can say hey to your sister-in-law while we're there." The loaded glare that passed from 'bodyguard' to 'employer' wasn't easy to miss as Artemis stayed silent. His attempt at humor had fell flat on its face and Oliver sighed and rubbed the back of his head as, once again, Diggle took the front seat while he and his new ward took the back. Turning his gaze towards the young blonde, Oliver could tell that the few minutes alone hadn't been nearly enough to relieve the stress lines from her face in the least. "I'm guessing that was a little bit heavier than you were ready for Artemis."

"Gee, I wonder why? I've been kidnapped by you, poisoned by my own dad, and I've gone from zero to sixty several times today by dragging up my past, which was the last thing I wanted to do by the way. So yeah, forgive me if I'm in a damn daze." Artemis snapped out at the billionaire and apparently former playboy beside her that had made it his mission to try and fix her. She sighed and grew silent again as she stared out the window, once again without seeing anything that passed by.

As much as Oliver wanted to comfort her, he knew that it wouldn't work. She had been through too much for simple actions to work in her case. _Maybe if her mother was still around it'd be another story._

After driving in complete silence for the next few minutes, Diggle flicked his eyes up to the very mismatched pair in his mirror. His boss had had everything handed to him from day one, didn't want for anything in his old life. Those five years on that island had made him appreciate what he had, and now he did all he could to balance the scales. From what little they knew about Artemis, it had been a kill or be killed life she had until this morning, been a part of, and she had come from virtually nothing. All she had was bad memories, a screwed up family, and who knew what else with a hold on her. "We're here you two. Best diner in the city."

Oliver was glad that the silence had finally come to an end as they pulled into the burger joint's parking lot. "He's more than a little biased, Carly would be pissed if he complained too much." Diggle chuckled despite the fact Oliver was probably right about his brother's former wife.

"Guessing she's the sis-in-law you mentioned? So, is your brother as big a jerk as you?" Artemis answered her own question before the man could so much as glare at her. "Probably not, since someone could tolerate being around _him _long enough to get married." The silence that followed was tense, far more so than the silence that had fallen in the car just moments earlier.

When it was finally shattered, it was by Diggle himself. "Best not bring that up in front of Carly, or _me, _again. She's a single mother now. Or do I have to spell it out for you?"

"I got the point." Artemis responded with none of her usual snark on hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Carly had lost her better half to some tragedy or another, not with the way Diggle rose to her defense anyway.

Oliver did his best to get the awkward moment behind them as he stuck his grinning face between the two and then started to get out of the car. "So...who's hungry? I'm buying." Neither John or Artemis said another word on that particularly touchy subject as they followed behind Ollie and into the restaurant. It didn't take them long to be found by Carly herself.

"Hey Dig, how you been? You should really call me more often you know." It was hard for Artemis to observe how painfully oblivious Diggle was to the flirty vibe the woman was giving off. So fixated on the two of them, Artemis didn't notice Carly saw her until she was practically introducing herself. "So, who's your new friend Mr. Queen?"

"Artemis Crock. Nice to meet you Carly." Diggle was impressed that their new 'friend' was actually behaving herself for once. That changed the instant she opened her mouth again. "It's not polite to ignore a lady's question _Dig_, how come you don't call?" Oliver had to hide the smirk that was on his face by turning away and pulling out his phone, which thankfully had vibrated at that moment, indicating someone was trying to reach him.

Diggle tried to put together a response while giving Artemis his best veiled threatening glare that he could pull off. "Sorry Carly, been busy with Mr. Queen and his new charity case here. Personally, I think he's going easy on her. Seems pickpocketing is one of Artemis's favorite hobbies."

Artemis only gave a noncommittal shrug before speaking again. "And who was it that tackled me to the pavement? You're not exactly a lightweight _Dig_." Just to add insult to injury, she poked at his belly, earning a light hearted laugh from Carly and a scathing glare from Diggle for her trouble.

"Ah...so now you have a man child, as well as an actual child, to worry about. You know Dig, some women find that type of responsibility pretty sexy." Artemis wanted to facepalm when Diggle just kept on staring at the menu in front of him. _What is wrong with you?! Would it help if she had come to the table in nothing but her underwear?_

"Like you Carly? And I'm shutting my mouth." Oliver stepped in and quickly backed off when Diggle's hand wandered to his holstered weapon on his right thigh. At least one of the men around her wasn't a complete idiot as Artemis scooted over and let the guy sit beside her. "Sorry bout that by the way, my mom decided to call and confirm the rumor that we might have a new house guest tonight. Apparently Dr. Lamb thought it a good idea to give my mother some forewarning."

"Joy. Can't wait to meet her. I'm sure your snooty family will just _love_ having an extra maid." You didn't exactly need a degree in psychology to see the young girl wasn't thrilled by the idea of staying with Oliver's folks. Somedays, Oliver had shared her discomfort the first couple weeks back from the island.

Oliver looked over to the mildly upset girl and nudged her in the arm. "What do you want Artemis?"

"A totally different childhood would be nice." The deadpan response was quick, just like everything else out of the young archer's mouth had been thus far.

Oliver tried not to notice the slight frown on Carly's face as he sighed at the difficult kid next to him. "Let me rephrase that, what would you like to eat?"

"Oh right...um, I'll get the belly buster burger." Artemis said as she put down the menu and leaned back in the seat. Oliver and Diggle quickly ordered two more burgers with fries while the waitress grabbed their menus.

"I'll go put that in for you." Carly paused and stared directly into the younger girl grey eyes. "You really lucked out meeting these two, you know that right?" After making her point, the woman turned and headed towards the order window.

"We'll see." Artemis said just loud enough to be heard by her two tablemates. Sighing heavily as she crossed her arms over her chest and crossed her legs over the knee, she looked for all intents and purposes bored to tears.

Since conversation didn't seem to be on the menu, the three quietly sat and waited for their food. Oliver and John looked over missed messages on their phones while the look of 'boredom' on Artemis's face only increased. "You know you're going to burn a hole in the wall, you keep on staring at it like that right?" Diggle didn't have to look away from his phone to see that Artemis hadn't moved a muscle the whole time since Carly had left.

"Maybe I should try staring at you instead then. You probably wouldn't notice if you caught on fire, considering how lame you are around Carly. She practically threw her bra at you, and you didn't even blink." Oliver nudged Artemis in the side to stop her from saying too much, but she had finished about that time anyway so it wasn't necessary. Oliver understood his friend's reluctance, but he still felt that Carly would be better off with Diggle in her life more than he was already.

"Listen...before you two get started, I know alright? I'm not stupid. It...it just wouldn't feel right." It was a lame excuse, even to his ears, but how did you ask your brother's old girlfriend if she wanted to go out with you? Especially if your brother was gunned down by a mercenary that used curare in his bullets?

"Huh. Let me ask you something _Diggy_, are you attracted to her? She certainly isn't ugly..." Artemis was almost disappointed at how easy it was to manipulate Diggle. That'd be something her old man and Jade both could and most likely would use against him if given the chance.

Diggle tried to keep his voice down, even though he felt like yelling some sense into his 'friends' at the moment. "That's _not _the point! She was my brother's-"

He didn't get very far as Oliver put a hand on his chin and thought it over. "Okay, so _that's_ clearly not the problem, and a blind man could see how she feels." Oliver was quick to add in, much to Diggle's growing annoyance and horror.

"Okay. One belly buster, and two regulars. Can I get you anything else Dig, besides some other people to hang around maybe?" Even as she said that, Carly gave Oliver and Artemis a playful wink as Diggle just mumbled something incoherently.

"Thanks Carly." Artemis said as she picked up her giant hamburger that had been put in front of her. "I guess I know why it's called a belly buster. Sheesh. This is huge." Her stomach wasn't about to protest however as she got a good whiff of the burger's intoxicating scent. After one giant bite, the two men saw something they never expected. Artemis actually looked _happy_, and her honest-to-God smile was just a tad unnerving, with both men seeing it for very the first time.

"Uh oh...what's wrong? Why aren't you frowning? This can't be good Oliver, I mean she can't possibly be _smiling_ after all." Diggle did his best to appear wary, while Oliver just grinned at the girl, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

After swallowing her first mouthful, Artemis only glared at the two for a moment before she responded. "I never had one before, what do you expect?" Diggle's eyes snapped up when he realized what had just come out of Artemis's mouth. Oliver was just as dumbfounded, to say the least. The young girl's cheeks burned red for only a few seconds before she managed to say something. "Hello? Zero to sixty all day today? This is just another example of just how well I'm gonna fit in with your family."

Oliver and Dig tried not to look at the girl in shock as she continued to wolf down the burger. "Did she just say she never had one of those before, or am I hearing things Oliver?" It was all Diggle could do not to blink stupidly as the realization sunk in that she had told them the truth. Hamburgers were one of the staple foods of the U.S.A., as bad as they were for a person's health in most cases. "You mean a burger at this diner, right?"

"No stupid, I mean I never had a burger, as in ever." There had been plenty of opportunities, but her dad wasn't one for eating out for obvious reasons, and delivery was out of the question.

"Did she really say that she hasn't had a burger before?" Oliver replied in awe, for once, equally stunned since he had had his first burger with his father long before he was stranded on the island. Even that glancing reminder of that time made his smile falter as he focused on the other part of Artemis's statement. "Okay, the first thing you're doing, after you get settled, is take a little introduction to what I call American Cuisine 101."

"He just made that up didn't he?" Artemis asked Diggle who only shrugged. He was used to Oliver pulling stuff like that out of his ass.

"Just preparing you for his mother's attempts to no doubt try and fatten you up. One thing's for sure, you'll never be hungry again." Diggle couldn't tell if Artemis was more comforted or alarmed by that statement from the look in her eyes. Maybe Laurel was right and Oliver had gotten them in over their heads? Whatever the case, they were in for a penny, in for a pound, and there was little chance of him giving up on her anytime soon. _Make that ever. Oliver might be a stubborn son of a bitch, but at least he's a loyal one._

Both men didn't say a word a short while later when the kid pocketed what remained of her meal. Neither man could blame her for storing a snack, given where she had come from not so long ago. Oliver especially could understand the habit of hiding food for later. It had kept him alive on more than one occasion. "So what's your family like besides rich and snobby?" Since it seemed she didn't have a choice in the matter, Artemis figured she might as well try to figure out what she was walking into.

"Just don't let Walter or my mom hear you say they're snobby and we'll be alright. They are good people, even despite the fact it might take my mom some time to adjust to the idea of having a potential grand kid running around. Walter is blunt, but sincere in his dealings in and out of the office." Oliver had nothing against Walter despite how he had acted around the man when he had come back, and after adjusting to the idea Walter was there to stay, had even started to like him quite a bit. He was blunt but sincere in everything he said or did.

"Walter? As in Walter Steele, the guy that runs your company? As if I needed yet another reason why I don't belong with you." Oliver was tempted to grab the girl's shirt sleeve, seeing the skittish look on her face, but didn't let himself.

_How is she supposed to trust me if I never show her I'm worthy of it? _ "Hey, don't worry about it. Like I said, they're good people. And just because we have money doesn't mean we're any different than other family Artemis." He realized too late that was the worst way he could have said that.

A loud snort of laughter showed how believable she thought that sounded. "Yeah. Right. Can we just get this over with? The sooner you and your family see that having me around is a bad idea, the better. I still don't know why you're doing this as it is."

"You heard the lady Dig, let's go see how utterly horrible my folks are." Oliver snarked as he left a generous tip for Carly and got up from the table, not watching to see if Artemis was following him. He didn't have to worry as the blonde fell in step behind the 'hero', with Diggle not far behind.

"Least you're honest." Diggle smirked, as he got behind the wheel yet again.

**The Queen Mansion**

**6:21 PM**

Artemis quickly gave Ollie her take on the castle-like Queen Mansion. "Wow. I was wrong, you people aren't rich, you're just plain stupid rich." She'd never admit it, ever, but she was about as scared as she had been just the other night. This terror was a different kind perhaps, but being surrounded by strangers all day hadn't helped.

"It might help if you don't call them stupid, just FYI. Only Thea and I are allowed to be that offensive on a daily basis, and I've at least made attempts not to be such a jerk." Artemis had to roll her eyes as Oliver gave her a little bow while opening the front door. "M'lady?"

"Call me that one more time, and I am so stabbing you in your sleep." Artemis grumbled as she pushed past Oliver at the same time.

"Hello Artemis! It's nice to finally meet you." Of all the possible introductions Oliver had been expecting, Thea's excited greeting had been the last thing he would have seen coming as his little sister ran down the stairs. The 'deer in headlights' look that Oliver was so used to seeing on Artemis's face was back in full force. He even winced as Thea gave the new house guest a light hug, that he definitely had _not _been expecting. Before he could try to get Thea to back off, she did it herself as she blushed crimson at her own excitement and broke off the hug. "Sorry, I know that was probably a bit too much."

"She has been bouncing off the walls since your mother received word of your latest endeavor Oliver." Walter said from the top of the stairs, his face unreadable as he looked down at the small crowd in the main foyer of the house. "Ms. Crock, let me be the second to welcome you to our home."

"Um...hi." By now, Artemis had managed to regain most of her dignity as she took in the man approaching her, as well as her surroundings. "Nice place you got here. And Thea Queen right? It's...nice to meet you too." The fact she had gotten her mouth to work at all was a miracle in and of itself, but Artemis was surprised by her own almost cordial response to those that had all but swooped down on her the moment she walked in.

That surprise turned back to her usual cautious nature as an older woman entered the foyer and gazed at her coldly before looking to Oliver. "I trust you'll be taking this seriously Oliver." Her gaze once again settled on Artemis, and it wasn't exactly pleasant. "Hello Ms. Crock. I hope you enjoy your stay in our home." As uncomfortable as she was with the idea of what her son had gotten them all into, Moira Queen would not be the reason for it falling apart. She had every intention of making sure Oliver understood however that he was on his own on this. "Well Oliver, what are you waiting for? Politely show Ms. Crock to her room would you?"

He knew when to vacate the area as fast as possible, and took the hint for what it was. "Of course. Come on Arty, I'm sure Thea's just dying to show you what she threw together for you, right Speedy?" The glares he received from both his sister and his new charge were of equal embarrassment and annoyance.

"How do you know that? And would you please not call me Speedy?" She knew it was a lost cause, having asked her big annoying brother not to use her old nickname before, but Thea would never flat out refuse him the right either. She was happy just to have him back at all.

"He does it to you too huh? Already got my annoying nickname." The smirk left her face as Artemis found herself looking at her new sneakers. "You didn't have to go to any trouble for me or anything."

Impulsive, reckless Thea Queen was in rare form today. Oliver couldn't honestly remember a time since his return that she had looked so bright and full of life. Hanging out with her 'friends' didn't count since they always wound up bar hopping. Still, it was nice to see his little sister high on life for once, instead of something else. "Too late! Come on, I'll show you around. You coming Ollie?"

"Right behind you, I just hope you went easy on the pink. As in non-existent." Oliver wouldn't really blame Artemis if she tried to climb out a window tonight, thanks to his sister's _unique _fashion style.

Thea only took a moment to shoot a glare over her shoulder at her brother without ever breaking her stride. "I didn't touch pink, thank you very much. Give me a little credit Ollie, Artemis isn't a child after all." Oliver was shocked at this new kinder, more responsible version of his sister. _Huh. So this is how everyone else must feel around me. Creepy._

"Thanks for noticing Thea." Artemis was honestly glad that at least one of the Queens, besides Oliver, was making her feel at home. Walter she wasn't sure about just yet, but he hadn't given her a cold glare like Moira had. The fact she had meant her response to the younger Queen surprised Artemis more than a little.

"Here we are, I hope you like it. Now...I know it's a little small-" Artemis had stopped paying attention to the girl's words the second she had opened the door to 'her room'.

Oliver was even impressed with what his sister had done in such a short time. The guest bedroom had a simple yet elegant feel to it, with the walls colored a few shades darker than sky blue. The queen sized bed was made up with deep purple satin sheets, and a heavy matching comforter. The fact she had her own bathroom wasn't lost on the young archer as she took several tentative steps forward and brushed her fingers over the large dresser that was right next to the giant walk in closet. Both were no doubt empty, but Oliver planned on changing that soon enough.

"I don't know what to say...I really don't, and I always have a snappy comeback ready." Artemis managed a small wry laugh as she tried to brush at her eyes as casually as possible in an effort to hide the grateful tears that threatened to fall.

"Just what happened to you Artemis?" Thea asked before she realized the words were out of her mouth, having not expected such a reaction by giving the thirteen year old girl a place to sleep as far as she was concerned anyway. She didn't understand just how far Artemis had come in the last twenty four hours, that she had come literally from nothing to everything.

"That might have to wait for another time Thea. Let's just give her some time to adjust." Oliver suggested, much to Artemis's relief as he shut the door behind his sister, following her out but not without a warm glance in the blonde's direction. Only when she was sure she was absolutely alone did the 'mask' she had been wearing all day finally slip away and Artemis's defenses crumbled. She barely made it to the bathroom which, by itself was bigger than her old room back in Gotham, and collapsed against the shut door. Curled up with her knees drawn up to her chin, Artemis didn't know how long she stayed like that as she cried her heart out. Relief, terror, gratitude, shame, so many emotions she couldn't even put names on passed through her mind from everything that had happened, and when she was finally able to think straight again, she found that she was honestly glad to be where she was now.

Oliver had pulled her away from the bastard that called himself her father, and while she didn't trust him more or less than anyone else she had met today, she owed him for what she might have from now on if things didn't end up blowing up in her face. It had happened before, so Artemis wasn't holding out any hope just yet as she made it a point to wash her face and erase any evidence she had been crying before looking around for something to tie her hair up. She hadn't been able to get a new hairband in a very long time. Finding a pack of rubber bands that someone had forgotten in the medicine cabinet, Artemis shrugged and did what she did best and improvised.

When she opened the door, Artemis wasn't expecting to see Walter waiting for her, that same inscrutable expression on his face and his hands folded behind his back. "Making sure I didn't sneak out a window?" She mentally cursed her smart comment the second it was out of her mouth. To his credit, Walter didn't react in the slightest and simply stood aside, letting Artemis out of the bathroom and into her new bedroom. "I'm sorry, today's been...a lot to take in." _That is the understatement of my whole pathetic life._

"It's quite alright Ms. Crock." He had prepared to give the newcomer to the mansion a rather lengthy speech, but then he had heard her heart wrenching sobs behind the door. Whatever his step son's mistakes in the past, Walter Steele was the type of man that was willing to give someone a chance to prove themselves one way or the other. Whatever misgivings he had held about Artemis had disappeared for the most part when he had overheard her quiet tears. He still felt it appropriate however to give her some friendly advice. "I just wanted to inform you of one thing. If you are planning to take advantage of our hospitality, then this will end badly. But...if you truly want a better life, then you are most welcome here."

Artemis could only nod to the stern older British gentleman in front of her, getting the distinct impression that he'd do exactly as he had implied if she messed with his family. Walter seemed satisfied, for the moment, and let the matter drop as he left without another word. The blonde allowed herself an involuntary shiver once he was out of sight before she followed, wanting a chance to look around the mansion without someone giving her the guided tour, as she was sure someone would have been more than happy to do. She didn't get far though as she saw Oliver standing at the end of the hall, leaning against the railing to the stairs with his arms crossed, unsurprisingly waiting for her. "How'd the talk with Walter go?" With a scoff and a roll of her eyes, Oliver only smiled a little at her reaction. "That good huh?"

"Yeah, that good. Now can we get this tour moving already so you have an excuse to follow me around?"

"What? I need an excuse?" Oliver gave her another sarcastic little bow, motioning with both arms that she should take the lead.

With another scoff, Artemis merely shook her head before doing as he 'asked'. "You are so annoying, you know that right?" Dumb question, of course he knew it. It was little wonder he and Laurel had relationship issues, but after the incident with Diggle and Carly, Artemis managed to hold her tongue in check by some small miracle. It helped that she was still reeling from the literal culture shock she was going through, given the dramatic shift in her life. Even if she didn't believe it would last, it was still a lot to take in.

They didn't get far before someone interrupted their little 'chat'. "What are you waiting for Ollie?! Oh fine, I'll do it myself. Come on Artemis, let me show you around the place." The way Arty's face went from annoyed to mildly nervous never failed to amuse Oliver, as Thea dragged the younger girl by the arm. He just gave her a little wave as her expression screamed, 'Get me away from your crazy sister!'. The expression on Artemis's face rapidly shifted to 'You're so dead when I get away from her!' when it became clear he wasn't going to step in anytime soon.

As much as it amused Oliver to see Thea dragging Artemis away, Oliver made it a point to follow several feet behind them. Unlike everyone else thus far, he trusted her, but he thought it a good idea for her comfort more than anything to stay close at hand, just in case. "Thea...Arty's not some pet you can drag all over the place. You could try asking first. Treat her like, you know, a person?"

Artemis couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as Thea slowed up and blushed a deeper red than the blouse she had on. "Oh...sorry. What would you like to-"

"Just try not to pull my arm out of socket and we can go wherever Thea." It had taken every bit of willpower she had not to put Thea in a headlock until she let go, and the look on Oliver's face confirmed he knew how close she had been to doing just that. Artemis had the feeling that her new 'best friend' had had a similar issue after his five year stint on Lian Yu.

Unaware of how close she had been to being seriously injured, Thea was as cheerful as ever. "Okay! Follow me then, we'll start in the living room."

After nearly an hour, Oliver could easily tell that Artemis was reaching the limits of her patience. Hell, _he _was getting edgy, and he _lived _here. It didn't help that there was so many memories in the old hallways and rooms in the mansion, and he wasn't fond of several of them.

"What's that room?" It was the first question that Artemis had been able to ask since the tour had started. It was kind of hard to get a word in edgewise with Thea letting her mouth go a mile a second.

"Hmm? Oh, that's the library. Lots of dusty old books in there and not much else. How about I show you the gaming room next?" When Thea turned around, the young archer was nowhere to be seen. "Artemis?" The library door swinging shut was the only clue Thea had as to where she had gone. "She moves almost as fast as you Ollie. Should I go check on her?"

Images of Arty reaching her fill of his sister on only day one, and finding the nearest escape route, popped into Oliver's mind. "Thanks Speedy, but I got it from here. And Thea? Thanks for trying to make her feel welcome, I think you did a better job of it than I could have." Despite her excitement that she obviously hadn't been ready for, Thea had, most likely, done more good than Oliver could have done for Artemis on his own.

"Really? Maybe I'll tone it down a little bit tomorrow, I think I overdid it. I'll let her take it easy and settle in before I talk with her again." Oliver gave his little sister a quick hug before she turned and walked towards the kitchen, internally sighing with relief that she understood how nervous she'd been making Artemis.

Sitting one of the windowsills, a book already open on her lap, Artemis didn't look up when Oliver quietly slipped into the library, thankfully alone. "Your sister needs to settle down before she ends up on the ground. Do you have any idea how close I was to breaking her arm in several different places? Being dragged around like that brought up one too many 'fond' memories."

"She just got carried away with her excitement. I don't think you need to worry about that happening again." Oliver pulled a chair over to Artemis's spot and sat down, getting comfy for the long haul.

"Good. Even if she is annoying, your sister seems like a nice person. I hate hurting nice people." Oliver had still been able to catch the haunted look in the girl's eyes before she stuffed her face back into 'The Count of Monte Cristo', a copy of the untranslated original French version he took note. "I know several languages before you ask. English obviously, French, and Vietnamese. I also know enough Spanish to get by in most situations."

"Was I that obvious?" The look that Artemis shot him answered that question. "Point taken. Where'd you learn to speak them?" That had obviously been something he shouldn't have asked. He shot out of his chair and caught the book that slipped from Artemis's fingers as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Setting it to the side, he was quick to turn his attention back to the troubled girl in front of him. _Ah crap. _ _I really shouldn't have moved that fast around her. Way to go Oliver. _He wasn't surprised to see the girl's fist flying at his face. Instinct won out as Ollie turned the attack aside and all but yanked Artemis off of the windowsill, sending her spinning to the floor, or so it would have if she had been anyone else. He got a glimpse of just how skilled she was in a fight when instinct took over for Artemis in turn as she went with the spin, sweeping her right leg out high and wide for his face.

Oliver managed to bend back, just fast enough to avoid having his teeth knocked out of his head. The trapped animal look in Artemis's eyes slowly started to disappear when she realized that he wasn't trying to hurt her. It helped that Oliver started talking in an attempt to calm her down further. "Okay, that was stupid of me. Definitely won't be doing that again around you, I should have known better. Nice form though. Are you done?" Oliver was debating whether letting her kick his teeth in would have been a better or worse than how he felt right now, as she backed away and quickly left the room.

As if his day wasn't complicated enough, his disapproving mother stepped into the library, and the look she gave her son spoke volumes all on its own. "Do I dare ask how you're handling your new charge who very nearly ran me down in the hall just now?"

"She's been through alot mother, thirteen years in her own 'island.' I would ask you to cut her some slack, but I know you better than that. She just needs some time." The comparison was uncanny, given their circumstances and what he knew about her already. The fact that Oliver noted that his mother's eyes showed a hint of surprise gave him more than enough to tell him that she had caught onto the comparison as well, but she still wasn't happy about it.

In all honesty, she had every right to be upset. "You recklessly brought an unstable, abused child into this house with barely any warning whatsoever. What I should do is insist you take her to the proper authorities tomorrow. But, what I'm _going_ to do is give you a chance to help her. False hope is the cruelest thing you can give to anyone, remember that Oliver." Despite the fact he had potentially put them all at risk, Moira Queen was proud of her son for trying to do this, for trying to help someone that was far less fortunate than they had ever been.

"I know I should have talked with you about this first, but she kind of fell into my lap. I saw a chance to do the right thing and I took it." Ironically enough, she had, and Oliver had just told his mother the closest version of the truth since he had been back. "I am sorry for putting you on the spot, but I promised I'd do everything I could to help her, to more than a few people today, and I'm keeping those promises." It wasn't just for their sake, but for his as well. He had broken too many promises in the past, and Oliver planned to keep this one one way or the other.

"The right thing to do is rarely the _easy_ path Oliver, but I hope you can keep your promise." Moira turned to leave her son in peace, but paused as she reached the doors. "Oliver, just because I'm upset with you, that doesn't mean that I'm not proud of you for doing this. Just don't give yourself any false hope either, Artemis may need far more help than we have to offer."

_You might be right, but I have to try._ Oliver only nodded solemnly, glad that she was at least willing to give him the chance to do this. He waited until his mother had gone before picking up the book he had set aside and had an idea come to mind.

**7:55 PM**

Artemis rolled over onto her side yet again, unable to get comfortable to save her life. It probably didn't help she was expecting Walter, Thea, Oliver, or even Moira to come into her new room and tell her to get lost. _That won't take too long. I'll probably be making my own way in a couple days, a week tops, after these people get tired of playing 'Help the broken little girl.' Guess they got bored with the usual crap the idle rich do and needed something new._

A soft knock on her do-, scratch that, on _the_ door caught Artemis's attention immediately as she made it a point to tuck the kitchen knife she had under her pillow a little further before going to see who was on the other side. "Ms. Crock? May I come in?"

_What does he want now? Maybe he didn't think he got the point across the first time... _Artemis eyed the door knob, and quickly unlocked it before she could change her mind. On the other side, yet again, was the last thing she thought she'd be seeing today. Walter gave Artemis a slight smirk as he extended a full serving tray towards her. _This is...definitely unexpected._ It made her blink in surprise, to say the least.

Walter continued on as if he hadn't noticed the dumbfounded look on the young girl's face. "I do believe you missed dinner Ms. Crock. I can't have a guest go hungry, now can I? I wouldn't be, as Thea says, 'a good British bloke' if I did." The attempt at humor surprisingly got a ghost of a smile from the young girl as she accepted the tray.

Artemis put on her best gruff tone of voice as the man placed his hands behind his back. "Mr. Stee-"

"Walter. Hearing Mr. Steele all day does get rather tiring." The smirk on Walter's face grew a little bit, not buying the 'tough girl' act for a moment, and besides, seeing her smile just for a moment had helped his opinion of her improve a little bit.

"Sure...Walter. Goodnight. Thank you for the food." Artemis was starting to wonder just how long they'd be standing there as a pregnant pause filled the air.

Thankfully, Walter broke the awkward silence first. "Goodnight Ms. Crock, and you're more than welcome." Artemis got the impression that he had meant more than his words had implied, just as Walter wondered for a moment if she was thanking him for more than the food. Even if she didn't know it yet herself.

Then the man simply nodded to her and headed towards the stairs. As she set the tray down on a bedside table and quietly shut her door, the young girl felt her stomach growl yet again. That piece of the belly buster she had stored away hadn't held her over for long, so what Walter had brought up was well received. She _almost _grinned when it turned out the last dish had something less than edible under its lid. A very familiar copy of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' stared back up at her. When she opened it up, Artemis saw a piece of paper fall out of the pages and onto the floor at her feet. Curiosity demanded she read it over, and was once again surprised by what she found.

To our young guest.

I do apologize for the less than veiled threat I gave to you earlier today, but as you have no doubt have guessed, I am willing to protect my family at any cost. To that end Ms. Crock, if my stepson's plan succeeds, and I find myself hoping it does, then that protection will extend to you. Provided you do not do anything to compromise your position here of course.

Signed W.S.

P.S. Given your interest in the original French version of the enclosed gift, bienvenue chez nous.

Besides Oliver, first it had been Thea, and now Walter was treating her like an actual human being. Again she was flooded with emotions she didn't have names for, but unlike last time, Artemis settled on a gentle smile instead of quiet sobs as she ran her hand over the old and well worn tome in front of her. Reaching under her pink shirt, Artemis pulled out a small silver locket out she had kept hidden until now and opened it up, revealing an even smaller picture of her mother, her sister, and herself as a baby before things had gone to Hell. "If only you could see me now mom." She whispered as she ran a fingertip over the edge before closing it and putting it back under her shirt. She had gotten quite well at hiding important items like her locket away, and it was the only thing she would have gone back to Gotham and the old 'family' apartment for if she hadn't had taken it with her instead.

**1:27 AM**

Thea had done well in choosing a room for Artemis since it was only two doors down from Oliver's own. If not for that, and the fact he had decided that crossing off one more name could wait, he most likely wouldn't have heard the noise coming from the girl's room. It helped he was a really light sleeper, an ingrained habit after five years of wondering who might try to kill him as he did so. Plagued by nightmares of his time on Lian Yu, aptly named for its purgatorial qualities, it was a wonder he got any sleep at all now that he was back in the States.

With that in mind, Oliver knew that waking up Artemis, if she was dealing with some of her own 'demons', would be an exercise in caution. The fact he had almost choked his mother to death his first night back home, and his earlier mistake in the library, were more than enough examples of why he needed to be careful. Quietly opening her door, surprised to find it was unlocked, Oliver wasn't surprised to see that Artemis was tossing and turning in her bed. She was almost screaming in her sleep as she fended off some phantom attacker, and Oliver found his hands were clenched into fists at the mere thought of what she was reliving in some dark recess of her mind.

He managed to push those feelings aside as he stood at a safe distance, knowing not to try and wake her up. After a few minutes though, he decided to carefully ignore his own advice and sat on the side of the bed she was closest to, just to be sure she didn't accidentally hurt herself. The only problem was she seemed to sense his presence and he heard three very distinct words come out of her mouth.

"Ollie help me!" He knew she'd deny it vehemently if he ever brought it up later, and that was assuming she even remembered saying it. That thought was not even present in his mind however as Oliver found himself gently reaching out to her.

"Shhh...it's okay Arty, it's just a dream, you're gonna be-" _Oh Hell._ Oliver felt like an ass when he realized, too late, yet again, that he had made a mistake when he saw the flash of the knife a second later. He had time to fall backward off the bed, but he still felt the sting of the knife meeting his chest, leaving a shallow cut behind before he was able to hit the floor. _That's gonna scar._ He shrugged it off, having suffered far worse than what Artemis had inflicted upon him. "Hey Arty...you okay?" _I definitely could have put that better, too late now._

The bloody blade slipped from Artemis's shocked fingers and fell to the carpet. "Am _I _ok?! I just knifed you and you're asking _me _if _I'm _alright?!" Oliver only enraged her further when he put a finger to his lips. "I'm patching you up...and then I'm getting the hell away from you before I accidentally kill you next time." Oliver wasn't about to argue with her demand to patch him up, but he did have something to say about her plan afterward as she led him into the bathroom. She was glad she had found a spare first aid kit under the sink when she had been looking for a hairband and found a rubber band instead.

"So do you not know what the 'quiet sign' is or-" As usual, his attempt at lightening the mood fell flat on its face.

"Shut up Ollie." Artemis's eyes widened a second later as she realized what she had actually said, while Oliver did his best to pretend he hadn't been listening. She had an entirely new reason to feel shock when she told him to remove his shirt and she got her first look at the scars all over his body. The sad part was, she recognized how some of the marks had been made. "Sword slashes, gunshot wounds, and an arrow mark on your shoulder?! What the hell happened to you?!" Oliver sighed and hung his head in exasperation, expecting to hear the sound of running feet any minute now. So far though there was nothing, which puzzled the man a little but he was counting his blessings for the moment. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter."

"Artemis..." The girl did her best to ignore him as she worked on the cut, quickly cleaning it before doing an expert job of sewing up the wound. "Artemis look at me." The fact she knew how to do half of what she did was more than a little troubling to Oliver, and the fact she had done it without showing a single sign of looking sick was also more than a little worrisome. "It wasn't your fault, I just got too close to you when I should have known better. Seems like I've been doing that a lot today, sorry."

As hard as it was to look him in the face, even when she wasn't crashing from an adrenaline high, Artemis still managed it despite the fact she was shaking like a leaf. Not all of it was from the crash and burn either, but it didn't help as she tried to glare at him. "Did you not just see me sew you up? The fact I know how to stitch someone back together should tell you how screwed up I am, let alone the fact I had to do it at all. I'm honestly starting to think you meant well, but some things are too broken to ever fix."

"Like the family you thought you could hold together?" Artemis gasped in surprise as Oliver pulled out the locket she thought she had hid well enough before she had gone to bed. "The fact you try to hide this in plain sight says a lot about you Artemis, that you somehow feel responsible for your family failing when it wasn't you that failed them." He had seen the silver chain the moment she had gone in for x-rays earlier that day. The fact he could shoot a man with an arrow at a hundred meters in the dark had made it possible for him to pick up the smallest details about a person.

She snatched the locket out of his hand and glared at him with real anger in her eyes this time. "You have no fucking right...I'm leaving, don't bother trying to stop me." If she thought she was getting away that easily, she was sadly mistaken as Oliver pulled out the cellphone he used as the Hood, and pulled up the only video he had on it. Artemis stopped dead in the doorway as she heard a voice she hadn't thought she would ever hear again.

It was a well known fact that prison security was used to record every visit prisoners had unless it was of a legal nature, and even then the cameras were left on to record video rather than audio. "Honey...I don't quite know how to say this. I don't want you to come back here, it's not safe, and I don't want to have your death on my hands. It'd kill me, to lose the only daughter I have left." As the child in the video began to sob and was escorted out as her mother looked to her one more time with tears streaming down her face. "I'll always love you baby girl, _always_."

"Turn. It. Off." Oliver knew he was playing with fire, but his point had been two fold. The first, to show that he knew a lot more about her than she realized, and two, to help Artemis get rid of even a small piece of her built up bitterness and anger. Even if those feelings were directed at him, which they most definitely were as she spun on her heel and charged him down. At least, if he hadn't been expecting it, she might have succeeded as he pushed her back out of the bathroom door. As big as the bathroom was, it was cluttered with the usual things you'd expect, but the bedroom was far less so and thus, it gave them room to maneuver without fear of injury. "How could you?!"

"I think you know the answer to that Artemis." Oliver replied as calmly as ever as he kept her at bay. Even full of rage as she was, Artemis's attacks were far from disjointed, but they were halfhearted. He felt like he was sparring with Slade Wilson, except he was the master and she his student rather than the other way around as her blows came at him fast, but there was no power behind them. He could have ended the fight, if he could even call it that, five minutes ago, but she needed to tire herself out, needed to vent her anger and hate. A moving punching bag was as good a target as any he figured.

"I _KNEW _you'd just end up hurting me! Just like everyone else!" Artemis couldn't bring herself to throw another punch, as Oliver tightly wrapped his arms around her. It was equal parts pinning her arms to her sides and trying to get her to calm down as he held her against his chest.

"That's where you're wrong." Oliver whispered into her ear as Artemis started to openly sob, the shock of injuring him and the adrenaline in her system fading, again, had done nothing good for her already frayed nerves. "I promised you that I'd protect you. I won't stop you from leaving, if that is what you truly want, but I will not hand you back over to the only parent you have left." Translation; he'd Hood up and hunt Sportsmaster down first before letting that bastard have the chance of getting his hands on her again.

"Why...why do you care so damn much? You only just met me...it doesn't add up..." No one was selfless as far as she was concerned. There had always been some kind of angle, something that the other guy wanted in return. It boggled her to no end, the way Oliver had done so much for her and had yet to ask her for anything in return.

"Well, they say if you can't do something smart, do something _right_. Guess I'm not the smartest guy in the world...just the most stubborn." Slowly relaxing his hold on her, Oliver gently lifted her face up by her chin so their eyes met again. "Do you truly have such a low opinion of me that you think a little mishap is gonna scare me off?"

She gently pulled away, but she didn't look away from Oliver's face either. He took that as a sign the young girl was moving in the right direction if nothing else, even if she was still having trouble processing the incident. "It's not like I busted a vase, or something! Look at your chest! You don't have to worry about feeling guilty, I won't blame you for cutting me loose." Oliver frowned slightly as she finally looked away from him and stared out the window.

Words weren't going to cut it. He could go round and round with Artemis all night and he'd probably wouldn't get anywhere. Then an idea struck him as surely as Yao Fei's arrow had done after he had buried his father. The only problem was the fact that Artemis was still a kid, and despite the fact she had been trained to fight anyway, she should have been allowed a chance to be a normal kid. Even so, it was clear that actions would speak louder than any words. "Okay, I can tell that talking about this isn't going to get us anywhere. So I'll tell you what, if you're willing to come with me to where I'm setting up my new club tomorrow, if you don't decide to sneak out first anyway, then we can see what to do from there."

Artemis couldn't have been more surprised than if she had won the lottery, and in a way she had done that already. "Bullshit. You're screwing with me, right? You want me to...help with your night life. I didn't exactly do that great the first time we _met_."

"Well it's either that or home schooling. Hmmm, probably both actually." Artemis managed a small laugh at those words, feeling better if not convinced about the future and where she'd fit in the Queen lifestyle.

"When you're done playing kiss and make up, some of us are trying to sleep. And Artemis? Try not to kill him too quickly, that's my job." Oliver wanted to kick himself as he turned to see Thea's grinning face. He'd been so focused on Artemis, he hadn't even noticed her. "And Arty? He might be a big dork at times, but since coming back, he's been a lot better than he once was. And Walter? I think you can stop hiding outside the door so you can pretend you didn't hear anything tomorrow."

Walter showed his first true sign of slight embarrassment since Artemis had seen the man as he popped his head around the corner before walking into the room behind his stepdaughter. "I wouldn't call it hiding exactly, just being cautious given our...more unwanted guests in the past. Are you alright Ms. Crock? It sounded as if you were having quite the bad dream." His only reaction to seeing the bandage on Ollie's chest was a raised eyebrow. "Hello Oliver, came to check on her first I see? Perhaps I should call the Doctor."

"Thanks Walter but no, she has a surprising steady set of hands." Artemis was blushing and wondering if bolting for the door was a better idea after all, but a hand on her shoulder made her relax, if only a little. "It wasn't her fault, but she demanded that I let her deal with my cut. Barely more than a scratch anyway."

Thea was willing to let it slide despite the fact it had been her brother Artemis had almost gutted. Everyone was alright, that was the important part. "At least his pretty face is okay. It's the only thing he has going for him." The playful scowl she got in return was enough to relieve any lingering tension in the air. "Maybe we should keep all pointy objects away from you both when you're sleeping. Just in case." Walter had already collected the knife that had fallen by the bed by the time Thea had finished talking, but he didn't leave just yet.

"You might have a point." A wry grin didn't completely cover up the mildly concerned look in Artemis's eyes.

"Your sense of humor has not improved I see." Walter smirked all the same as he turned his attention to Artemis. "As hard as it might be for you to believe Ms. Crock, you truly are safe here. So please, no more stashing weapons within easy reach." He only got a nod in reply, but it was enough for him as Walter left to take care of the knife, leaving Thea with the two.

"Well...I for one won't be falling asleep anytime soon. Want to grab a hot cup of chocolate?" It was Oliver's turn to raise an eyebrow at that, but he was relieved to see that Artemis seemed up to it as she perked up slightly and followed his sister out before he could say anything.

It wasn't until they were on the stairs that Artemis quietly whispered something to Thea that surprised him. "I'm sorry about...your brother. I didn't do it on purpose."

As light hearted as she had tried to sound earlier, Thea was far from cheerful as her brave face disappeared the moment she was sure Walter wasn't around. "I know. You might find it shocking to hear this, but we're far from perfect. We have our own issues, some of us more than others. Walter left home for a week on a 'business trip' and I...let's go get that hot chocolate shall we?" Oliver wasn't sure what surprised him more; the fact that his sister had gotten Artemis's full attention with that by itself, or that she had started to open up to the blonde that was almost as stunned as he was.

"Sure...I don't suppose you have any marshmallows too?" Thea managed a smile and nodded to the young girl's question.

_Why would it not surprise me if she never got to try those either?_ Oliver only smirked a few minutes later, as it was clear she had indeed never had something as simple as a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows before. Thea was just as surprised as Diggle and Oliver had been earlier when Artemis answered her unspoken question. "What kind of rock were you born under again?" Her expression a split second later clearly showed that Thea wished she hadn't said that.

Having taken up temporary residence in the living room, Artemis only had to look over her glass to meet Thea's gaze. "One you don't ever want to find out about."

"Or maybe you suck at talking about what happened to you about as much as my brother, and you need someone to open up too." Oliver was really hoping all of his sister's limbs would still be intact by sunrise, especially after _that _little tidbit of advice.

He didn't have to worry though since the little 'sparring match' they had had in her room earlier had seen enough of her anger gone, at least for now, that Artemis didn't have it in her to raise a hand against Thea. "I don't know, maybe you're right, but I don't feel like talking now."

"Okay, I can do companionable silence. Want some more marshmallows? Sorry, and I'll start being quiet now." Thea managed to last all of ten seconds before speaking up again, much to Artemis's annoyance and amusement, although she'd never admit to the latter. "Okay, I have to ask, how'd you patch up my nosey jerk of a bother, I mean brother, so quickly? That was kinda impressive, to be honest."

Thea's praise did little to relieve the guilt behind the reason she had had to patch him up to begin with. Artemis's next reply, while delivered with only a hint of her sarcastic nature, gave Thea enough of a hint to drop it. "Remember I said I didn't want to talk about it? That is part of what I'd rather not talk about."

Oliver slightly nudged Artemis's shoulder as he gave her a wink, and turned to his sister. "I don't know about you, but I could go for some of those marshmallows Thea. Just doesn't quite cut it without them." Thea looked between her brother and their new and strange guest but didn't press for anything else as she left the two alone. Only then did Artemis sigh and sink into her chair a little more. Oliver's smile had disappeared as he took his sister's seat.

"I really do like your sister, Oliver, but I might end up killing her if she isn't careful. Maybe you should just tell her I'm basically an unstable, loaded gun. That should freak her out enough to leave me the hell alone. Right?"

"Arty, if I was worried for my family's safety, do you think I would have brought you to my house? And I hate to say it but Thea's as stubborn as I am and she's taken a liking to you. The only way you'll be rid of her now is if you actually did." Artemis proceeded to bang her head on the counter repeatedly, muttering under her breath. Oliver had to bite the inside of his cheek for only a moment before he put a hand on the table to stop the blonde from putting a dent in her forehead. "Artemis, relax already. Tomorrow, just concentrate on getting through the day, and we'll be fine. _You _will be fine."

She slumped back into her seat and sighed heavily, but the mutterings had stopped at least. "Fine, you win, but don't say I didn't warn you." Oliver wasn't fooled by the gruff tone she tried to put on, instead focusing on the doubtful look in her eyes. Tomorrow looked to be quite interesting, to say the least, given what had been promised to her already. Being allowed a glimpse into the life of a vigilante was temptation enough for Artemis to stick around. But if that was all she had wanted out of Oliver Queen however, chances would have been good she would have bailed already.

It was the slim possibility of being part of a real family that held her there. She just had to survive being around the Queen family long enough to prove whether or not they could be trusted. How hard could that be?

_Closing Notes; Vergil1989; I'll be honest, I always hate trying to write drama of any sort. I always hated soap operas and trying to write family drama and what have you has never been something I enjoyed. I always felt like I either overdid it or didn't do enough or something._

_Archer83; What he said. Seriously though, I hope anyone reading this has gotten as much enjoyment out of it as we need writing it. Well, the editing part sucked, but the rest was fun! _

_Vergil1989; Archer? Bite me. Lol anyway, before anyone says a word, YES, I know that Walter isn't due back until Muse of Fire. We...kind of had a brain fart and didn't catch our mistake until we were halfway done with the chapter, and by then it was too late to fix without reworking everything from the ground up. Still, we just had him come back a little earlier was all to...cover our asses lol. Ok it's a piss poor excuse, it's fan fiction! We forgot, there we admitted it!_

_Archer83; Vergil...just say it's AU, the miracle-forgive-all of fan fiction._

_Vergil1989; We also forgot...lol. In all seriousness though, we hope you enjoy the story and as always, feedback is always welcome so long as it's more than 'I liked, please update.' I get so many of those reviews it's gotten past the point of OLD._

_Archer83; "This was AWSUM!" is perfectly acceptable to me Vergil._

_Vergil1989/Oliver Queen; "Archer83, you have FAILED this fan fiction!" Lol._

_Archer83; Ow! I thought 'an arrow to the knee' was just a lame joke!_

Translations:

Bienvenue chez nous: Welcome to our home.


	3. Planning Ahead

_Opening Notes; Vergil1989; My RL situation took a turn for the worst for a while there, (see profile for more details,) and so this and a lot of my other stories kind of got pushed to the wayside for a while because of it. However, things have calmed down and I plan to get this and my other stories going again._

_Archer83; YAY! Also, Vergil and I kept coming up with new ideas, so that kinda slowed us down a bit. However, we are getting the ball rolling with Twin Destiny once again! For those of you wondering when we were going to FINALLY update our stories, fear no more. All of them will be continued in time, and maybe, JUST MAYBE, we will finish one. Eventually...hopefully._

**Chapter 3; Planning Ahead**

**Starling City, Queen Manor**

**September 8th, 2009**

**8:51 AM**

He had been up for the better part of an hour with Laurel, going over the plan to adopt, temporarily, one Artemis Lian Crock. Provided the judge they were supposed to meet in a week gave the go ahead anyway. By the time he checked the time again, he wanted to thunk his head against the wall for letting his mind wander and their conversation because of it. "I better go Laurel, my mother is probably wondering why I haven't come down for breakfast yet."

"Just be at the courthouse next Friday at ten in the morning, or you will regret it." Laurel reminded him, and Oliver had to chuckle even though he knew she wasn't bluffing. He had no doubt that she'd make his life Hell if he screwed up.

Oliver tried to put as much of his charm into his next reply. "I'll be there, rain or shine."

Laurel was not amused or swayed in the least. "I don't care if we have a combination earthquake / tornado / blizzard. If you're even so much as five minutes late, I will string you up from the nearest street lamp. Then I'll get the Hood to use you for target practice. Am I being clear enough, or should I be blunt?"

"I got the message Laurel, we'll be-" He didn't get a chance to finish when Laurel hung up on him. "...there." _That hasn't happened to me before. Huh, so that's what that feels like. As Tommy would say, shake it off._ With that thought in mind, Oliver dressed in a brown jacket and a grey t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans. He planned to go out tonight as the Hood, but that was hours away yet. They had a big day planned to get through first.

"Arty." Oliver tapped on the girl's door and wasn't surprised when she didn't answer. _Probably still asleep, she did have one hell of a night._ Opening her door, Oliver was surprised to see that the bed was empty, and that her window was open. _Oh that's just great._ Running downstairs as quickly as he could without vaulting over the bannisters in the process, Oliver had to skid to a halt when he caught a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of his eye in the direction of the dining room. Turning on his heel, Oliver let out a breath of relief when he saw that Artemis was eating breakfast with Thea. "I thought you'd still be asleep Arty."

To his credit, Oliver managed to keep a smile on his face, but Thea wasn't so easily fooled. "You okay Ollie? You were really breathing hard there for a minute."

Artemis shrugged and continued eating the toast, bacon, and eggs that had been put in front of her by Raisa, the friendly maid that had apparently known Oliver as a young boy. "Maybe he's just a little out of shape? I know I'd be if I had this good cooking to come home to everyday."

Thea smiled in between a couple mouthfuls of eggs. "Ouch, I think that was a burn Ollie."

"Hardy har you two. Speaking of burned, who made the toast? It's a little...crispy." When Thea pointed to Artemis, Oliver just shrugged and helped himself to a piece of the burned toast as well as some of the leftover bacon and eggs. "We'll work on that."

"Can we please just have a nice breakfast without you making an ass out of me for two seconds?" Artemis managed to say between mouthfuls of what was in front of her. It was bad enough she was stuck in the same Hello Kitty shirt from yesterday.

"I can try, no promises though. Pink really is your color by the way." Even as Artemis gave him yet another death glare, her eyes twinkled with something other than anger when Oliver smiled at her.

"Translation; don't hold your breath Arty." Thea was quick to reply, earning an annoyed grumble from Artemis for her trouble.

"Keep talking Thea. The sooner I get out of this ridiculous outfit, the better. I really hope shopping is at the start of our day, otherwise I might reconsider running off." Today was going to be trying enough without looking like a complete idiot to boot.

"Can I come? I promise I have a _great _fashion sense!" Artemis was starting to get that doe in highlights look again, as Oliver shook his head.

"Sorry Thea, but Laurel wants us at CNRI later today. If we didn't have that to worry about though, I'd be happy to have you around. You'd be bored to tears in five minutes flat." The fact he didn't want her anywhere near the Glades had nothing to do with his decision to leave her behind. It helped, but it wasn't the main reason. "Besides, I need to stop by the club later and Tommy will probably end up dragging me around town after that."

"You make it sound so taxing." Thea rolled her eyes but shrugged. She had seen the scared look on Artemis's face as well and had put two and two together. As much as they had started to bond, she hoped, Artemis wasn't quite ready to have anyone near her but her big brother for any length of time. "I'm sure a few of my friends can keep me entertained. Oh and mom wanted me to tell you she and Walter were having lunch and that they'd be at meetings all day so they won't be home until late."

"Does she have a mute button?" Artemis asked, earning a playful scowl from Thea while Oliver had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing.

Instead he opted for embarrassing. "Billy Connor's basement, eight years ago. Just use that the next time she gets you in a corner." The mortified look on his sister's face made Artemis grin widely. "Come on Thea, it's not like you don't have anything you could tell her about me."

"Hmm, he has a point." Thea ate another spoonful of eggs before pointing the utensil at Oliver. "Like the time you and Tommy attended the senior graduation party."

Oliver had wanted to forget that particular incident even before he had been stranded. "Great party, I wouldn't suggest the alcohol fueled stunts though. Which included actually using alcohol as fuel...if I remember right. Those go-carts were never the same."

"Yeah, but it was fun as hell at the time." As if summoned, Tommy Merlyn was standing in the entrance to the dining room, one of his customary grins on his face. "The best part was the looks on the cops faces when they finally pulled us over. Although, was that before or after we were chased out of the parking lot by the football team?"

"Before, definitely before. I remember because you were making out with the head cheerleader before they started chasing us." Apparently making out with said cheerleader had been a bad idea because she had been dating the captain of the team at the time.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Artemis muttered under her breath as she finished the last of her breakfast.

"Sally Destefano...ah memories. So, is this the new kid I've heard about?" Tommy held out a hand to Artemis who only crossed her arms in response. "Sheesh, and I thought Detective Lance wasn't a people person. Where'd you dig up this little blonde piece of work? Should I start looking for horns and a tail?"

"Bite me. And that's Artemis to you, wizard boy." To say the famous Merlyn charm wasn't working on her would have been an understatement, as Artemis abruptly stood from her chair and attempted to brush past Tommy on her way to the door.

She didn't make it to the foyer before Tommy stopped her. "Ah such an inspired insult. You wound me madam."

Tommy had to take a cautious step back as Artemis's grey eyes fell on him when she turned around. "I'm about too." Something in her voice made him wonder if she really meant that threat.

Oliver got between them before Artemis could do anything to his best friend. "Easy guys."

Tommy grinned at the very worried expression on Oliver's face. "What, is blondie gonna chip a nail? You grew parental instincts in a hurry...it's mildly interesting to see the new responsible you. Creepy. But interesting."

"Could you _try_ not to be such an ass Tommy?" Thea asked as she looked between the two, annoyance plain on her face. "He's actually been doing pretty good, so lay off the insults already. I think it's a nice change." If the look plastered on her face was anything to go by, Thea was willing to bet Tommy wouldn't be laughing for long if Artemis had her way.

By this point, Oliver knew the only thing between Tommy and a fun ride to the emergency room, was his hand pressing on a quietly seething Artemis's back. It took a few minutes, but she merely looked away with a scoff and settled for simply giving Tommy another death glare. She'd never admit it, but the way Tommy had been making fun of Oliver had been what really set her off. _I'll show you creepy._

"It's alright Thea, but yeah, I am trying to be more responsible Tommy. This is just day one, but hopefully there will be many more." Oliver replied, breathing easier now that he wasn't having to keep Artemis away from ripping his friend apart.

Tommy was honestly impressed once he figured out the whole situation wasn't some kind of practical joke. "You're taking this seriously? Huh, never thought I'd see the day you grew up." _And I'm still a grade A douche. Go figure._

Artemis found herself jumping to Oliver's defense without even thinking. "Being stranded for five years probably helped him stop being a man-child. Unlike some of his friends."

"Ok I deserved that." Tommy replied, holding his hands up for a moment before letting them fall to his sides. "So Artemis..."

"_What?_" She could at least barely bring herself to respond to Tommy civilly now, without the urge to pound his face in.

To her great surprise, Tommy actually knew what her name meant. "At least your name fits. Goddess of the hunt right?"

"And how many schools did you have to go to before you figured that out?" Artemis had already heard how Oliver had attended at least four schools, and that he had dropped out of all of them. It wouldn't have surprised her if his best friend had followed along for the ride.

"Only five." Tommy smirked when it was clear his utter lack of shame was starting to annoy the girl. While Oliver was still shocked that his friend knew anything about the ancient Greeks. "So, I never did ask but what's on the agenda for today Ollie boy?"

Oliver made sure that his young charge wasn't about to get arrested for assault before he finally let go of her. "Shopping, for starters."

Tommy's face lit up as he grinned at the blonde. "Awesome...we can add to your Hello Kitty collection." Artemis glared as the man rubbed his hands together, obviously gleeful at the idea of embarrassing her further.

"Remind me, why I haven't broken both his legs in several different places by now?" It took every bit of her willpower not to do just that. Even with Oliver between them, she was tempted to go around him and do it anyway.

"Because I'd consider it a personal favor if you didn't?" Oliver got a muffled growl from the blonde, as she left the dining room and almost ran into Diggle on her way out of the house.

"Nice kid." Diggle muttered, just loud enough for his two companions to hear as they followed in Artemis's wake. He could see she wasn't happy a mile away as they approached the car.

"She grows on you." _Maybe it would have been better to take Thea after all?_ Oliver considered going back inside and getting Thea, but sighed and continued forward instead.

"Like a mouthy little parasite." It was hard to miss the looks John and Oliver shot Tommy's way as they all climbed into the limo. Artemis' reaction could best be described as rage encarte. It was all Oliver could do to forcefully shove her to the driver's side of the back seat before Tommy lost a limb, or something even more important. _I've turned into my father...great. _"Ok so I'm not one to talk. Look Ollie, I wasn't kidding when I said it was interesting. In fact, it's rather touching, just do a better job than my own dad did and we'll be good."

Diggle glowered at Tommy a moment later and turned to look at his two currently less annoying passengers. "So where we headed Ms. Crock?" Oliver and Artemis didn't know what quite to say to that, considering they were still a pleasantly surprised and shocked, respectively, by Tommy's last comment for different reasons.

"Um...as much as I'd hate to start looking like Merlyn, I might as well start looking the part if I'm gonna be stuck in Queenland right?" She had no idea what shops the rich and snobby went to, but she was _pretty _sure it wasn't the local Wal-Mart.

"She's got you pegged already Ollie. Don't worry Ms. Crock, it's not that bad once you get used to the view." Whether that was a subtle insult directed at her or Oliver, Artemis couldn't be sure, but she chose to ignore the smirk that was planted on Tommy's face regardless. "Hey, didn't your sister and a few of her friends do a little B & E at Bloomers not so long ago? We could start there." Tommy suggested, earning a less than amused scowl from Oliver as Diggle pulled out of the driveway.

"I see you really rubbed off on your little sis, _Ollie_. Before you know it, she'll have all your bad habits covered." Artemis rolled her eyes, not at all surprised that Oliver had been a less than positive role model for Thea growing up. _At least there's no chance of her ending up like my sister...or me._

"I'm really hoping that doesn't happen." No one could say for sure if Oliver only meant Thea, or more, when he looked over to his new charge. It was Artemis's turn to look uncomfortable as she looked out the window. Today was going to be a long day.

**Three hours later.**

Artemis growled as she tossed the huge mound of assorted pink children's clothing back at Tommy. He was lucky that she didn't have one of Oliver's planchettes on her, or she'd have thrown that at him as well as she stomped back into the changing booths.

Tommy actually managed to look a bit hurt. _Well there goes twenty minutes of searching the racks._ "What did I do wrong? She picked out the stuff she was wearing right?"

"Um...not exactly. It's a long story." Oliver rubbed the back of his head as he tried to come up with a good way to explain everything. He couldn't exactly say anything about stopping her and her father from robbing a bank without revealing the fact he had been there as the Hood after all.

"Well, I'm not that easily defeated." Tommy confidently said as he took a second, more serious crack at finding something that wasn't from the children's section. _Pink is obviously not a good idea, so let's try...ah here we go._ When Artemis came out again, she was surprised to see a green t-shirt and a comfortable looking pair of soft denim jeans being shoved at her. "Here. They have them in hunter green."

"Thanks...Tommy." Artemis had to give the guy credit, he was capable of being something other than a complete ass it seemed. A small smile flicked over her face before she disappeared into the booth again. The fact they fit wasn't lost on her, but then she remembered that Tommy and Oliver had been around girls most of their lives. _Although I bet they're used to undressing them rather than the other way around._

"Now to find you some decent sneakers. That crap Oliver brought will probably fall apart in a month. I'll let you handle socks and underwear Ollie." Tommy almost doubled over in laughter at the now red hue on Oliver's cheeks.

_Never thought I'd be asking for advice on girls' underwear. _"Um...excuse me, I was just looking for..."

Thankfully, the clerk could easily tell what had him flustered. "I'd say grab anything in a AA22 to 24 sir. That should be comfortable for her. Also, I just wanted to say it's nice, what you're doing for her I mean, Mr. Queen."

"Thanks...excuse me." The news had been quick to pick up on the fact that there was a new guest at the manor. Despite their efforts to keep a low profile, reporters had still gotten a picture of Artemis with him on their way out of CNRI, and the story had appeared that morning. It had been part of the reason why Laurel had called, calling it good publicity, for once, on his part.

Artemis meanwhile, did her best not to look totally embarrassed as she came out of the booth, feeling better than she had in a long time as she hefted the heavy bags she had packed full of clothes. She wasn't about to stick around after what Tommy had said as she tossed the bags onto the counter, hoping Oliver got the message to hurry up. If her impatient stance wasn't enough, she loudly cleared her throat for good measure. She did her best to pretend that suddenly having Diggle appear out of nowhere behind her hadn't flustered her in the least.

"Are we done with the kiddie crap? Or should I go 'check the perimeter' again before Oliver-" Artemis was mildly surprised to see Diggle's eyebrows shoot towards his hairline. The smirking cause wasn't that shocking though.

"Hey Dig? Think Carly would like this?" Oliver somehow managed to keep a serious expression on his face as he handed the red, lacey matched set of underwear to the mortified bodyguard.

"She's a lucky woman." The clerk nodded her approval of Oliver's taste, which only added to the heat in Dig's cheeks as she gave him a mischievous glance.

"You do know he's carrying a gun right Ollie?" Tommy said through the grin plastered on his face, having to bite his tongue to stop from laughing at the mortified bodyguard. Artemis meanwhile could only shake her head as she attempted to swipe Merlyn's credit card from his wallet while he was distracted. It was only when she was putting his wallet back, and Oliver tapped his friend on the shoulder while pointing at her, that he even noticed the theft. "Hey! If you wanted me to pay, all ya had to do was ask Theftemis."

"I don't _ask _for anything." It wasn't hard for Oliver to see past her bluster. One look in those troubled gray eyes of hers told him she never hadanyone in her life trustworthy enough to ask for help with _anything_, let alone a couple bags of clothing.

"Am I the only one sensing daddy issues here? Because I certainly don't have any." Tommy reeked of his usual sarcasm, unaware of the emotionally traumatic Pandora's Box he had just opened.

"Don't ask." Oliver and Artemis said at the same time before staring at each other in surprise. Artemis scoffed and picked up her bags before heading to the car to sulk. Or at least, that was her idea, but the moment she got to the door, she was all but ambushed by the mob of reporters outside. Diggle and Oliver were right behind her the moment they heard the click of cameras and the endless pushing and prodding by the incessantly questioning media groups outside.

"Mr. Queen, do you believe yourself capable of caring for the well being of a child of any age?"

"Is it true that you are indeed in the process of taking legal custody of Ms Crock?"

"Ms Crock! Is it true your father specializes in murder for hire?"

"How did you meet Mr Queen, Ms Crock?"

"What's it like living a true rags to riches fairy tale?"

"Mr Merlyn! What do you make of this new development?"

"Get back! Move!" Diggle shouted as he pushed his way forward, clearing a path through the mob. It was times like these that having a personal bodyguard paid off. Looking behind him only made Diggle's job all the more urgent as he met Artemis's desperate gray eyes. _Shit._ Being surrounded by strange people, shoving microphones and recording devices in your face was nerve wracking for anyone that wasn't prepared for it. _She might just kill someone if I don't get her out of here fast enough._ "Ms. Crock, get in quick! You, step back!" Diggle shouted at the last mic wielding reporter in his way, as he gently pushed the blonde into the car in front of them. If Oliver or Tommy were surprised by the fact they had had to muscle their way through the crowd behind the increasingly irritated former soldier, neither said one word. "I'm gonna make you eat that thing! Now step back!"

As soon as the doors were shut, with Oliver and Artemis in the back seat once more, only then did Artemis take a shuddering breath as she bit back the panic that had about overtaken her. Being crowded by countless strangers was indeed nerve wracking, and she finally glared at Tommy and Oliver for not warning her ahead of time. "I'm sorry Artemis, I hadn't thought about it being a problem. I've gotten used to the mobs…."

"Oh crap." Oliver was already glaring at Tommy just from the tone of his voice, as he took out his phone. "I ah...I _might _have tweeted that we were taking the little princess here shopping."

Dig looked ready to blow his top, and Artemis gave Tommy her usual death glare, but Oliver just looked confused. "Tweeted?" Confusion aside, Oliver was sorely tempted to punch his best friend in the throat. "And why the hell would you tell anyone where we were Tommy?!"

"My bad? Listen, I know I screwed up Ollie..." Tommy's eyes flicked over to a still shaking Artemis, as a rare honest-to-God guilty expression plastered itself on his face. "Honey...I'm sorry, it was just force of habit and I didn't think-"

In a flash, Artemis had snatched the device out of his hand and smashed it against the inside of the door before handing its cracked remains back to him. "Call me that again, and I'll break your neck _next _time."

"I deserved that...again." If it was anyone else, Tommy might have said something about the cost, but with his best friend giving him an equally dark glare, he was in the mood to make peace as quickly as possible. "Feel a little better now?" Artemis only crossed her arms in response and glared out the window.

"Maybe if you hand over yours too Oliver..." Dig was glad to see just the hint of a grin on the young girl's lips as he glanced into the rear view mirror. _Mission accomplished. _

"Hilarious, Dig." Oliver sighed and let his anger slip away, although it was slow to do so given how close to disaster they had come. "Are you feeling up to anymore excitement Artemis, or would you rather go home?"

"Giving me a choice? That's new." Artemis paused for a moment before making up her mind. "Ice cream sounds good." All three men looked at the teen as if she had just asked if she could have a loaded grenade launcher.

Not too surprisingly, Tommy was the first to recover, no doubt desperately wanting to make amends. "Um...sure?"

The rather shockingly innocent request had immediately started setting off alarms in Oliver's mind. _Dammit. She's going to run the second I give her an opening. Why was I dumb enough to let Tommy tag along with us?_ "Arty...look, I know you're embarrassed and a little scared right now, but just give me another chance to-"

"Oh for god's sake, do you really think I plan to run again?" The words surprised her, but Artemis found she meant it despite the fact it had been a knee jerk response to the situation.

_Maybe. _Oliver half heartedly gestured towards his warily observing friend in the front seat. "Actually, I was more worried about Tommy here waking up with a bad case of dead."

"I will buy an endless supply of ice cream for you if you tell me he's just joking...right? Sprinkles are not an issue." In reality, Tommy was far more concerned that he might have ruined Oliver's tenuous bond with the girl, rather than any possible harm that might come his way.

"By the bucket and I'll think about it." Artemis replied, the hint of a mischievous smirk on her face, which was quickly replaced by a frown. "You're an idiot...but you're not a bad guy Merlyn. Just don't do anything to lead those vultures to us like that again."

"Right, I wouldn't want to take an arrow to the knee after all." Two blank stares met the massively cliched phrase. Even Dig caught it and chuckled at the lame joke, as Tommy borrowed his phone to look for a close ice cream shop.

"What's so funny?" Oliver and Artemis both said simultaneously, as they looked at each other and shrugged. In their own ways, both of them had been out of the world for too long.

**Starling City Police Department**

**3:17 PM**

"I think I got something for ya boss." Quentin looked up from his desk and the mountain of paperwork in front of him. "We've got some lab results back on the botched bank heist the Hood was part of. Blonde hair fibers, definitely from a woman. Maybe even a kid, crazy huh? It's gotta be a lab error."

"How can ya tell?" Lance was impressed but he wasn't so quick to dismiss the possibility. Queen suddenly gains a side kick only a day after a bank heist? There was something fishy here and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"You seriously don't believe they start out that young do ya boss?" The junior detective just gave Lance a dubious look as he handed over the report.

"Musta been 'take your daughter on a heist' day. Humor me. What would it take to confirm this?" Quentin tapped on the computer screen that was in front of him, a plan already building in his head as he looked to the data displayed before him. _I'll get you yet you slippery bastard._

"Oh, well that's pretty easy actually, just need a matching fiber from your perp. Same as any other DNA testing." With a shrug, the man quickly left to try and deal with his own massive backlog of case files. Then stopped in his tracks as he turned to face the senior detective. "Don't do anything stupid Lance, warrants are our friend, remember?"

"That and Laurel already threatened to tear me, and the SCPD, a new one if I tried anything. So I'll just ask nicely." As light hearted as he tried to make it sound, that simple reminder had burst Lance's bubble since his daughter would do all in her power to make him pay if he did try anything underhanded to fulfill his need for true justice. "Fine, I'll behave, but if we find anything new on Oliver's new playmate, then all bets are off." _The girl is probably just gonna end up in juvvie sooner or later anyway. Queen isn't exactly the best influence for a troubled kid like that._

**Starling City, the Glades, the Docks.**

**Martin Somers's former office.**

**September 10th, 2009**

**10:26 PM**

"Do you understand what is at stake Cheshire?" China White, a skilled assassin for the Chinese Triad, was not in a good mood. She hadn't been cordial since her confrontation with the Hood which had resulted in a draw. If not for the local police, things might have been different. Even as she had been beaten and forced on the defensive in this very area, White was sure she could have turned the tables if she had been allowed more time. On the other hand, she had never faced anyone so formidable in a very long time, so maybe it was her own outrage at being overpowered that colored her memory of the affair? _It matters not. My mentor wants the Hood dead, but the fact he has enlisted the help of these...people...does not sit well with me._

China hid her distaste well however as she met the cat masked woman's gaze. They were both professionals, but she wasn't purely an assassin like this young woman was reported to be. Jellyfish venom covered darts, an assortment of knives, a katana, and who knew what other surprises the League of Shadows member in front of her possessed. The mask covered the raven haired woman's smirk, but China could still hear it just fine as Cheshire spoke. "So, do you have any clues as to where I can find this man? Any leads I can follow? No? I didn't expect that to be the case, or you wouldn't have curried favor with the League of Shadows."

The mercenary's response was quick as her eyes narrowed to slits. At such a blatant insult to the Triad, and thus her master, China's impatience started to get the better of her. "Be careful what you say. Master Zhishan is more than your equal, and I am his right hand. Anger him at your own risk."

"Relax Ms White, before that dress of yours gets painted red." Jade said as she stepped away from the wall, her right hand idly resting on her hip, where her knives just happened to be. "The League accepts the job, that was never in question. What was in question was your ability to provide useful intelligence, and that has been answered. It seems I'll just have to do this the old fashion way." Cheshire didn't blink an eye as a knife flew from China White's hand and buried itself in the wall by her right cheek. "Thank you for proving how inept you are. I believe this is yours." Yanking the blade out of the wall, Jade twirled it around in her hand before tossing it back before China White knew what was happening.

She only had time to duck to the right as her own blade left a small red line across her neck. Taking her eyes off of Cheshire for no more than a heartbeat, the Chinese Triad mercenary turned back only to see that Jade lived up to her name. Like the Cheshire Cat from the story, there was no trace of the assassin to say she had ever been there. China's hands were clenched into bloodless fists as she stalked out of the docks. Zhishan would be pleased to know that the League had accepted the hit, but that didn't mean she had to like it personally. _If not for the simple fact that the League would send men after us to avenge their fallen comrade for the betrayal, I would gladly slit her throat myself._

Jade meanwhile was already on her way to meet with the one man that she honestly wished she could kill, but couldn't. It wasn't a matter of money, it was the fact she called him her father that stopped her from doing anything of the sort. If anyone could find the Hood, it'd be Lawrence Crock, especially since she knew he had already gone up against him once and lost. For Sportsmaster, the only way he would ever get back up from that was to kill the man himself.

**Twenty minutes later.**

**The Glades, Abandoned Warehouse #12**

Lawrence had to admit, the Hood was good. The cut on his face had taken some serious stitchwork, not to mention the arrow wound he had taken below his knee. At least the liquor he had consumed had dulled the pain somewhat, but he still walked around with a noticeable limp as he prepared for another night against the man that had taken him down. So engrossed in his work as he loaded up another spear, Lawrence never heard Cheshire coming until there was a dagger pressed to his neck. "I hear that not only did you get your ass handed to you, but that you left your 'baby girl' to rot as well. Real classy _dad_."

"Put that damn knife away Jade, you and I both know you'd never use it." Lawrence sneered at his older daughter and batted away her arm.

"I might forget my manners considering _you _left Artemis to die. But the fact you might prove useful is the only reason why I haven't killed you already." Jade growled as she shoved her father into the work bench in front of them before she backed away. As much as she wanted to gut him, she put her knife back into its place on her hip.

"Necessity is a bitch ain't it?" Rubbing at his neck as he straightened himself out, Lawrence only turned around and looked down at his eldest child. "I take it the Chinese Triads hired the League, and they sent you. What's the matter, is old Ra's finally retired and gone the way of the dinosaurs?"

The smallest flicker of a smile appeared on Jade's face as she crossed her arms under her chest. "He sends his regards actually, and would like to remind you that doing anything so reckless again, such as poisoning your own kin for example, will be met with...an appropriate punishment for the crime. As to why he sent me, I was in the country, and I was the closest agent he trusted to complete the job."

The threat didn't bother him in the least, having expected as much from Ra's Al Ghul and his latest errand girl. As for Jade's answer, Lawrence knew a bullshit explanation when he heard one. "Basically there was no one else, so he sends you to do his dirty work."

"You always had a knack for making things as blunt as possible. So let _me _be blunt. Why did you take the cowardly route...and leave my sister to a horrible death?!"

Lawrence's answer was as cold hearted as Jade had expected. Some things never changed with family it seemed. "She failed the bank job in every way possible. When she had the Hood dead to rights, she chose to shoot the wall by his head instead of putting her arrow through his eye."

"So you're upset a _thirteen year old girl_ didn't want to kill to save your sorry ass? Well, leaving her was _perfectly_ justifiable then." Jade spat out, with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

It was Lawrence's turn to consider murder as he tried to puff out his chest and appear bigger than what he was. If his attempt to intimidate Jade worked, she did well in not showing her fear as his cold voice contained a great deal of his rage, rage he was known to use on his own children. "If not for me little girl, you wouldn't be where you are now. Don't presume to tell me about justification, when we both know your only loyalty is to your next paycheck, and a grizzled old man that is well past his expiration date."

As fast as Jade was, Lawrence had always been faster as her katana was blocked by one of his spears, when she tried to take his arm off at the shoulder. Instead, her downward strike didn't get close to achieving what she had wanted, and she had to break their deadlock before he got any ideas. Jumping back out of reach of any follow up attacks, Jade kept her sword in her hands as she stared down the monster that called himself her father. "Ra's Al Ghul has done more for me than you ever have. You taught me to survive at any cost, that was all. He forged my fear and pain into tools I could use without them crippling me in the process. He gave me a place I belonged, and your repeated insults will not be forgotten, or forgiven. It's bad enough I have to come to you to find the Hood, but the fact you sacrificed Artemis to cover your own ass..."

Lawrence was back to grinning like a loon as he casually tossed his weapon aside before addressing his daughter. "Believe it or not little girl, she's not dead. Have you checked the news today? Oliver Queen, the guy that came back from the dead, has a new kid underfoot. Funny huh? I leave her with the Hood...and this goodie-two-shoes rescued billionaire just happens to take her in. I think you're smart enough to figure out the rest."

There were few times that Jade had honestly been surprised. The first time was when word had reached her of her mother's untimely demise. The second was when she had been found by the League rather than the other way around. And now, it seemed she had been dealt another unexpected surprise at the news Artemis had found her way to the Queen household. The chances were good Oliver Queen was in fact the vigilante she had been sent to kill. It was the only thing that made sense that didn't include her sister being dead in an alley somewhere. "Leave it to you to think about bribing a man that took Artemis in. Actually, _rescued_ her from you is a better way to put it."

Lawrence shrugged off the insult as he continued. True as it might have been, for him, it was already said and done. "Matter of perspective little girl. I didn't pay him a dime. He made a fool out of me, took Artemis under his 'protection', and is no doubt turning her against us. Can you honestly say you'd go against your master's orders for the sake of family?"

Jade's face uplifted into a smile once again since the answer was simple as far as she was concerned. "Yes, I actually can, unlike you."

"And yet you abandoned her." As he laughed in her face, Jade's smile instantly morphed into a glare that could have melted steel.

Leaving Artemis behind had been the worst decision she had ever made, one that Jade still regretted even now. "And you left her to die! There was no way you could have known he'd save her. If he helps her to be more than a petty criminal, then so be it. At least she'll be doing something good with her life!"

Waving his hand in disgust, Lawrence looked away from Jade. "Spare me the speech, I had to hear it from your mother up until she was locked up."

"More like you left her to die too." Growling in the back of her throat, Jade slammed her mask down over her face before going to the open window she had originally climbed through. "Don't follow me, or make a move against Oliver Queen. He is a League target now."

"Like you're going to do anything about it. Can't ruin baby girl's new toy, now can you?" As much as he wanted to follow, with a partially bad leg, Lawrence knew he needed more time to heal before he tried his luck against the Hood again.

However, even Lawrence was wondering if she would actually go through with it when she left him with four simple words. "She'll live. He won't."

_Ending Notes; Vergil1989; This chapter wound up shorter than my usual. It probably doesn't help that I've been away from this and Lost Youth for some time due to RL crap happening on this end of the globe, but hopefully things will pick up again before too long. In the meantime, despite RL getting in the way, this chapter almost felt perfect in its size and such for what we did here._

_Archer83; I hope this was an enjoyable chapter for all of our readers, and I just want to say that we WILL be updating this story, as well as all of our stories in general. To do this, we will most likely refrain from adding more than a couple new stories to our profiles until we actually finish one of our tales. As always, please review or PM us as you like. Feedback is always useful and appreciated._


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